ERO Boston removes foreign fugitive wanted in Brazil for fraud
Carlos Alberto Moraes exits his removal flight at Tancredo Neves International Airport in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, on March 10.
BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston removed foreign fugitive and unlawfully present Brazilian national Carlos Alberto Moraes, 57, from the United States on March 10. Moraes is wanted in Brazil for using fraudulent documents.
“Because of the relentless, dedicated work of the ERO Boston officers, this foreign fugitive was located, arrested and has now been removed to face justice in Brazil,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “ERO Boston is committed to carrying out our mission, which includes the apprehension and removal of unlawfully present fugitives running from the law in their own country. We continue to seek out and remove these criminal fugitives through the close cooperation of both our international and local law enforcement partners whose help is critical to these efforts.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection apprehended Moraes in May 2010 near Nogales, Arizona, after he unlawfully entered the United States across the southern border. Authorities issued an Order of Expedited Removal and removed him from the U.S. on May 26, 2010.
In October 2013, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended Moraes in Chateaugay, New York, after he unlawfully crossed the northern U.S. border. At that time, officials released him with an Order of Supervision with instructions to report to a designated U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.
Sometime between October 2013 and January 2023, Moraes became wanted for the use of fraudulent documents in Brazil. In January 2023, ERO Boston issued a Revocation of Release on Moraes for violating terms of his release, and its Fugitive Operations Team arrested him without incident in Somerville.
ICE’s Air Operations Unit chartered a flight that flew Moraes to Tancredo Neves International Airport in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, where ERO turned him over to local authorities.
Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice that is separate from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by federal immigration judges.
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.
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.
ERO, a directorate of ICE, upholds U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders. ERO operations target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, who have violated our nation's immigration laws, including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad at-large in the U.S. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, detention, bond management, supervised release, transportation, and removal. Additionally, ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 150 countries worldwide.
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