ERO New York City arrests Colombian narcotics trafficker convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine

NEW YORK - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations officers in New York City arrested Andres Fernando Arroyave Ramirez, a 36-year-old Colombian citizen, Nov. 15. He had been previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine by the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida.

ERO Officers from the Newburgh sub-office arrested Arroyave without incident outside of the Federal Correctional Institution in Otisville, on an immigration detainer and order of expedited removal. He remains in ICE custody, without bond, pending removal proceedings.

"Those who seek to do harm or threaten the public safety of U.S. citizens and residents will be brought to justice," said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. "I am grateful to our law enforcement partners for their cooperation with ERO. Together, we can help protect Americans from transnational criminals.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection paroled Arroyave into the United States at Miami, Florida, April 24, 2013, for the purpose of criminal prosecution. Arroyave was convicted of the drug charges Sept. 26, 2014, and sentenced to 175 months imprisonment.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the 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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

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 crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO New York City's mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ERONewYork.