ERO New York arrests Ukrainian fugitive wanted for manslaughter
NEW YORK — Deportation officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested a Ukrainian man Tuesday, who is wanted in his home country for manslaughter.
In the early morning hours of Oct. 17, ERO deportation officers from the New York-based Fugitive Operations Team, arrested Pavlo Chonka at a Brooklyn, New York, residence without incident. Chonka is wanted by law enforcement authorities in Ukraine for manslaughter. He entered the United States lawfully in 2015 as a visitor, before violating the terms of his visit.
On Aug. 3, ERO New York received a lead from ICE's National Fugitive Operations Program in Washington D.C., indicating that Chonka was wanted by Ukrainian authorities for his alleged involvement in a fatal crash that caused the death of a child in Vynogradiv City, Ukraine. Chonka is alleged to have driven a vehicle into oncoming traffic, striking another vehicle, fatally injuring a 7-year-old passenger.
“The apprehension of foreign fugitives in the United States continues to be a high priority for ICE,” said Thomas Decker, field office director of ERO New York. “The cooperation between the United States and the international law enforcement community was instrumental in the arrest of this foreign fugitive and highlights ICE’s global reach.
Chonka was arrested for immigration violations and will be held, without bond in ICE custody, pending a hearing before an immigration judge.
ICE is focused on removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges.
Since January, ICE arrests comprise over 70 percent convicted criminals. Of the remaining individuals not convicted of a crime, approximately 70 percent have either been charged with a crime, are an immigration fugitive, or have been removed from the United States and illegally re-entered – reflecting the agency’s continued prioritization of its limited enforcement resources on aliens who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security.
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