Massachusetts arrest reveals suspect wanted for murder in Dominican Republic

BOSTON — Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston officers arrested an unlawfully present citizen of the Dominican Republic wanted by law enforcement authorities for homicide in the Dominican Republic on April 11.

According to ERO Boston, their Fugitive Operations Team officers issued an immigration detainer for the Dominican fugitive following his arrest for unlicensed operation of a vehicle by the Springfield, Massachusetts, Police Department and after an international law enforcement background review revealed the citizen of the Dominican Republic is wanted for homicide in his home country. He was taken into ERO Boston custody on April 11, where he will remain pending the outcome of an upcoming immigration hearing.

“ERO Boston targets individuals who threaten to harm our communities. ERO is one of a select few law enforcement agencies that can make our communities safer by removing people who commit crimes or attempt to evade arrest by hiding in our neighborhoods,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “Be assured, our officers will continue to identify threats to the community and remove them expeditiously.”

ERO Boston stated that the 30-year-old unlawfully present citizen of the Dominican Republic entered the United States via the U.S. Southern Border in December 2021. On December 31, 2021, he was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol in Hidalgo, Texas and transferred to ERO in McAllen, Texas, which later released him under an Alternatives to Detention program. On April 9, 2022, the Office of Judicial Services, Judicial District of Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic announced they were seeking the arrest of the Dominican native for the offense of Homicide.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.