ERO Boston removes Brazilian fugitive from US
Brazilian noncitizen convicted of armed carjacking in home country
BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston removed a 42-year-old, unlawfully present Brazilian national convicted of armed carjacking in his native country. Deportation officers from ERO Boston removed Adinan De Souza-Fontoura from the United States to Brazil July 26 and turned him over to Brazilian authorities.
“Adinan De Souza Fontoura was convicted of armed carjacking in Brazil, and he fled to the United States to avoid a prison sentence,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “He has shown a propensity to commit violent actions and posed a threat to the residents of Massachusetts. Now he will return to his home country to face justice there. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by aggressively apprehending and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our New England communities.”
U.S. Border Patrol apprehended De Souza Sept. 11, 2021, after he unlawfully entered the United States near San Ysidro, California. Border Patrol officials issued De Souza a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge and released him on an order of recognizance.
On Oct. 24, 2022, A Brazilian criminal court convicted De Souza of aggravated theft-armed carjacking. The court sentenced him to five years and four months in prison. Later that day, Brazilian officials issued an arrest warrant for De Souza for failure to serve a sentence.
Deportation officers from ERO Boston apprehended De Souza May 30 in Quincy.
On July 9, the Department of Justice immigration judge ordered De Souza removed from the United States to Brazil.
Deportation officers from ERO Boston removed De Souza from the United States to Brazil July 26 and turned him over to Brazilian authorities.
ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.
As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public with information regarding child sex offenders can report crimes or suspicious activity by dialing the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ERO Boston’s mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBoston.
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