Jamaican man convicted of robbery nabbed by immigration authorities in US
Published:Friday | April 19, 2024 | 12:36 PM
HARTFORD, CMC – The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says agents have arrested a Jamaican man who was convicted of second-degree robbery with a weapon in Connecticut.
ICE said that Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers arrested the 25-year-old on April 3 without incident after he was previously released by the Connecticut Department of Corrections, despite the existence of an active federal immigration detainer seeking his custody.
“ERO Boston will apprehend unlawfully present offenders like this individual who have been convicted of serious crimes and who pose a threat to public safety,” said ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd M Lyons.
“Disregarding immigration detainers increases the possibility that convicted criminals will reoffend in our communities. ERO Boston will continue to prioritise public safety and seek the cooperation of our law enforcement partners to promote safer communities in our region,” he added.
ICE said the unidentified Jamaican was admitted into the United States in Miami in April 2007 and that in January 2020, he was arrested on the charge of second degree robbery with a weapon.
ICE said the Jamaican was convicted in the New Britain Superior Court in September 2021 and was sentenced to a 10-year state prison sentence that was later reduced to a partially suspended sentence with probation.
In August 2022, ERO Boston filed a federal immigration detainer with the Connecticut Department of Corrections at Garner Correctional Institute in Newtown seeking custody of the Jamaican man.
ICE said despite the existence of an active federal immigration detainer, Connecticut's state Department of Corrections released him on October 2, 2023, without notifying ERO Boston.
But, he was arrested on March 19, 2024, on charges of making violent threats, breach of peace and larceny, which remain pending in the Hartford community.
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.