ERO Boston removes fugitive wanted for attempted murder in Brazil
BOSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston removed an unlawfully present foreign fugitive wanted for attempted murder in Brazil April 14. Officials flew Eduardo Rocha Dos Santos, 41, a citizen of Brazil, from Massachusetts to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where he was turned over to the proper authorities.
“The successful arrest and removal of this dangerous foreign fugitive from our community without incident is a credit to the professionalism of the men and women of ERO Boston,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “Our officers remain committed to accomplishing our mission every day. That mission continues to help make communities safer and more secure through the identification and removal of unlawful foreign fugitives who pose a threat to the public safety.”
On Feb.10, 2022, Rocha was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas, charged with unlawful entry, served a notice to appear before an immigration judge, and released by the Border Patrol on his own recognizance.
In 2022, it was discovered Rocha was wanted for the offense of attempted murder in Santa Caterina, Brazil.
On Dec. 14, 2022, ERO Boston arrested Rocha in Revere, Massachusetts, and served him with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.
On March 22, 2023, an immigration judge with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) ordered Rocha removed to Brazil from the United States. EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the 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 the federal immigration judges.
As one of ICE’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.
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.
For more news and information on how the ERO Boston field office carries out its immigration enforcement mission, follow us on Twitter @EROBoston.
Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 866-347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form. Callers may remain anonymous.
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