ERO Boston removes convicted foreign fugitive wanted for fraud in Brazil
Man arrested in Massachusetts attempting to evade prison sentence
Jairo Soares-Pereira exits his removal flight at Tancredo Neves International Airport in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on March 10. (1st & 2nd photos) | Soares-Pereira was arrested by ERO Boston in Malden, Massachusetts on February 21, 2023. (3rd photo)
BOSTON — On March 10, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston removed an unlawfully present foreign fugitive from the United States convicted of fraud in Brazil. Jairo Soares-Pereira, 37, was convicted by a criminal court in the Brazilian city of Itambacuri of fraud and sentenced to serve a three-year, four-month prison sentence in September 2019.
“Perpetrators of these type of crimes care very little about the havoc they cause to the victims involved, but ERO Boston and our partners do,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “This arrest and subsequent fugitive removal is a direct result of the critical support and cooperation of both our international and local law enforcement partners — men and women whose dedication should be applauded.”
In April 2021, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended Soares-Pereira near San Luis, Arizona, and charged him with inadmissibility under U.S. immigration law. He was issued a Notice to Appear before a federal immigration judge before being released on an order of recognizance.
After ERO Boston officials were alerted to his fugitive status via Brazilian authorities, ERO Boston’s Fugitive Operations Team officers located and apprehended Soares-Pereira without incident in the city of Malden on Feb. 21.
A charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit flew Soares-Pereira, a citizen of Brazil with a final order of removal, to Tancredo Neves International Airport in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.
As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) three operational directorates, Enforcement and Removal Operations (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 can report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.
Learn more about ERO’s mission in your community on Twitter @EROBoston.
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