ERO New York City arrests Honduran citizen convicted of leaving scene of accident resulting in death

NEW YORK — On May 2, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City arrested an unlawfully present citizen of Honduras convicted of the felony crime of leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death.

ERO officers from the Long Island Fugitive Operations Team apprehended the 34-year-old without incident outside his residence in Hempstead pursuant to a warrant. The officers issued him a notice to appear charging him with inadmissibility. He will remain in custody pending removal proceedings.

“This noncitizen’s cowardly decision to leave the scene of a severe accident that caused the death of an individual is not only unlawful, but highlights his callous disregard for the safety and security of the residents in our community,” said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. ERO NYC officers will remain vigilant and committed to our mission to preserve public safety from criminal noncitizens.”

At an unknown time and location, the noncitizen entered the United States without inspection, parole or admission by an immigration official.

On April 1, 2020, the Nassau County Police Department arrested the noncitizen for leaving the scene of the accident where an injury resulted in death. The Nassau County Court convicted him April 29, 2022, and sentenced him to five years of probation.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate 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. ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by 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.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.

Learn more about ERO New York City’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ERONewYork.