***  BEYOND OUR BRIDGES ***  COLOMBIAN WOMAN WANTED FOR MONEY LAUNDERING TRIED TO HIDE IN MASSACHUSETTS NEIGHBORHOODS

WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS – [ICE MEDIA STATEMENT & BLURRED PHOTO] –  WORCESTER, Mass. — Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston apprehended a Colombian fugitive wanted for money laundering crimes in her native country. Officers with ERO Boston arrested the 38-year-old Colombian fugitive Oct. 17 in Worcester. “This Colombian fugitive attempted to flee the law in her native country by seeking refuge in our Massachusetts neighborhoods,” said ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “Now she will be forced to face the justice she sought to subvert. ERO Boston will not allow our New England communities to become safe havens for the world’s criminal elements. We will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing egregious noncitizen offenders.” The Colombian national lawfully entered the United States in January 2015. However, she violated the terms of her lawful admission. Colombian authorities issued an arrest warrant for the Colombian national Nov. 3, 2023, for the crime of money laundering. Upon learning the Colombian fugitive might be residing in Massachusetts, officers with ERO Boston arrested her Oct. 17 in Worcester and served her with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. The Colombian fugitive remains in ERO custody. 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. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 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 and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.