US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials on Friday (June 14) announced the arrest of an illegal migrant wanted for the alleged rape of a minor in Jamaica.

The 59-year-old Jamaican fugitive, a non-citizen who had his visa revoked in July 2020, was arrested on May 29 near his residence in Stamford, Connecticut. 

The individual, whose name is being withheld, was admitted to the US by Border Patrol officials in June 2020. 

ICE reports that he had non-immigrant visitor status at the time and was authorised to stay in the US for six months. Jamaican authorities in July 2020 issued a warrant for his arrest for allegedly raping a minor in the country and as such his visa was later revoked by the State Department shortly.

Now facing immigration judge

Deportation officers arrested him and he was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge and is now in ICE custody awaiting the outcome of removal proceedings against him. He will remain in the custody of the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) pending the outcome of his removal proceedings.

ERO Boston field office director, Todd Lyons, says the individual represented a danger to the community, adding, “This Jamaican non-citizen fled to the United States to avoid some very disturbing charges. He posed a significant threat to the residents of Connecticut, and now he will return to Jamaica to face justice there. ERO Boston will continue our work of prioritizing public safety while arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders from our New England communities.”

The announcement comes amid a wave of migrant arrests by ICE. The agency announced last week the arrest of a Colombian national accused of assaulting a victim with a mental handicap. 

ERO operations

The Biden administration this month issued an executive order barring migrants from receiving asylum in the event officials find the border has been overwhelmed. ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. 

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 local communities and the integrity of US immigration laws.