ERO Boston removes Italian noncitizen convicted of assault, aggravated injury in Italy

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston removed a 34-year-old Italian citizen wanted in his home country to serve his sentence for a charge of assault and aggravated injury. Deportation officers from ERO Boston removed Yael Gonzales-Mejia from the United States to Italy March 6.

“This Italian noncitizen not only violated the terms of his admittance into the U.S.; he was doing so in an attempt to evade justice in his home country,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M. Lyons. “We cannot allow Massachusetts to become a safe haven for those attempting to evade justice. ERO Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing such threats from our New England communities.”

The Criminal Court of Pistoia, Italy, charged Gonzales-Mejia with the offense of attempted murder March 3, 2013. The court convicted him of assault and aggravated injury August 8, 2016. Following his convictions, Gonzales-Mejia received a prison sentence of one year and 26 days. Later that day, the court issued an arrest warrant for Gonzales-Mejia for failure to serve a sentence.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection admitted Gonzales-Mejia into the United States May 31, 2021, at Miami International Airport. However, he remained in the United States beyond the time allowed under the terms of his admittance.

On Jan. 22, after confirming that Gonzales-Mejia was residing in Massachusetts and that he was the subject of an Italian arrest warrant, deportation officers with ERO Boston arrested Gonzales-Mejia in Chelsea.

Deportation officers from ERO Boston removed Gonzales-Mejia from the United States to Italy March 6.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (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 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.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the ICE online tip form.

Learn more about our mission to increase public safety in New England communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROBoston.