Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday the arrest of an illegal immigrant from Brazil. The agency explained the man has been wanted in Brazil for attempted murder since October 2023.
ICE additionally confirmed the man, whose identity the agency withheld, entered the United States through Arizona’s southern border and was eventually apprehended for deportation in Massachusetts. He will remain in the agency’s custody until he is removed from the country.
The agency reported that U.S. Border Patrol first encountered and apprehended the Brazilian national (pictured above) in March “after he unlawfully entered the United States near Lukeville, Indiana.”
While Border Patrol initiated removal proceedings, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued the man a notice to appear in court at a later date. The Brazilian national was “subsequently released on an order of recognizance.”
The man was encountered entering the country illegally by Border Patrol in the United States on March 28. ICE did not explain when the man was released by the DOJ, but the Brazilian man made his way to Boston, Massachusetts, where he was apprehended by the agency’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) on May 2.
He was ultimately in the country for just 35 days before his arrest in Boston.
According to ICE, a Brazilian court issued an arrest warrant accusing the illegal immigrant of attempted homicide on October 6, 2023. The agency reported that “the Brazilian noncitizen faces up to 30 years in prison” in his home country if he is convicted.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said the Brazilian national was in the United States to avoid the criminal charges, stating, “This Brazilian national attempted to use our Massachusetts communities to evade an attempted homicide charge in his home country.”
Last month, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed that 1.7 million illegal immigrants entered the country in the first six months of the 2024 fiscal year, with 246,432 reported entries in March alone. Of those, the agency reported that 189,372 entered through the southwest border.
The Lukeville port of entry was temporarily closed by the Biden administration last year amid the influx of illegal immigrants in the sector, with agents normally tasked with processing vehicle traffic reassigned to process the flow of those entering the country.
While the Biden administration has been accused of inaction at the southern border, former President Donald Trump has promised to increase security and begin a “mass deportation” program to remove illegal immigrants if reelected.
A recent poll showed just over half of Americans would support Trump’s deportation plans, including 42 percent of Democrats and 46 percent of independents.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
