ERO Philadelphia removes foreign fugitive wanted for rape to Brazil
A wanted citizen of Brazil awaits removal.
PHILADELPHIA — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia removed Thalles Mendes Ribeiro, a citizen of Brazil with a final order of removal, to Brazil on Jan. 26. Mendes is a foreign fugitive wanted by law enforcement authorities in Brazil for false imprisonment and rape.
“The protection of the American public from dangerous predators is the number one priority of the ERO mission,” said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley. “We will continue to vehemently target individuals who pose a threat to the American public.”
U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) apprehended Mendes near San Ysidro, California, on June 10, 2021, after he entered the United States without admission or parole by an immigration official. USBP served Mendes with a notice to appear charging him with inadmissibility.
USBP transferred Mendes to ERO San Diego’s custody on June 13, 2021. On the same date, ERO San Diego released Mendes under the Alternatives to Detention program and ordered him to report to ERO Newark.
On Feb. 24, 2023, Mendes failed to appear for his scheduled immigration hearing. An immigration judge in Newark, New Jersey, ordered Mendes removed from the United States in absentia.
On Dec. 4, 2023, ERO Newark apprehended Mendes in Eatontown, New Jersey, during a targeted enforcement action. Officials detained him at the Elizabeth Contract Detention Center in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
On Dec. 6, 2023, ERO Newark transferred Mendes to ERO Philadelphia’s custody at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg pending his removal to Brazil.
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 crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.
Learn more about ERO’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROPhiladelphia.
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