ERO Philadelphia removes Brazilian citizen wanted for murder

PHILADELPHIA — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia removed Stanford Jahmaal Omar Bastian, a citizen of the Bahamas with a final order of removal, to the Bahamas on March 26. Bastian is a foreign fugitive wanted by law enforcement authorities in the Bahamas for murder.

“ERO Philadelphia is dedicated to fulfilling its mission of protecting the American public by removing noncitizens who are wanted for violent crimes in their home countries,” said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection admitted Bastian to the United States at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 13, 2009, with authorization to remain for a temporary period not to exceed Sept. 12, 2009. He remained in the United States beyond that date without authorization.

In January 2024, officials determined he was wanted in the Bahamas for murder.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida convicted Bastian of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 or more kilograms of cocaine and sentenced him to 50 months of incarceration on March 9, 2021.

ERO Atlanta encountered Bastian at Federal Correctional Facility McRae in Helena, Georgia, on July 5, 2022, and lodged an immigration detainer with the facility. In August, he was served with a final administrative removal order charging removability pursuant to Section 237 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

ERO Philadelphia detained Bastian at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Phillipsburg during removal proceedings.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 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.