ERO New York City removes noncitizen to Israel
NEW YORK — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New York City removed an unlawfully present Israeli foreign national on May 17. The man was convicted multiple times of criminal possession of stolen property.
Rami Abuziyad, 42, entered the United States at the Memphis International Airport in Tennessee on Dec. 20, 2004, as a nonimmigrant with authorization to remain in the United States until June 19, 2005. On June 15, Abuziyad filed an application to extend his nonimmigrant status with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. The extension was approved July 19. In May 2010 and again in November 2012, the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn convicted Abuziyad of criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree and sentenced him to terms of two to six years and three to six years imprisonment, respectively.
“ERO New York City officers remain vigilant and committed to our mission to protect national security and promote public safety,” said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. “Those who violate our immigration laws and undermine the safety of our communities will be apprehended and removed from the United States.”
An immigration judge ordered Abuziyad removed to Israel Sept. 25, 2018, and Abuziyad waived his right to file an appeal. ERO Buffalo released Abuziyad on an order of supervision Dec. 21, 2018. ERO New York City arrested Abuziyad, revoked his order of supervision and detained him pending removal to Israel May 10, 2023.
Abuziyad was flown via ICE Air Operations from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv, Israel, where he arrived on May 18.
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) within the Department of Justice. EOIR is a separate entity from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is removable or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal. Once a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge or other lawful means, ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by the 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.
As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) three operational directorates, Enforcement and Removal Operations (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.
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