ERO New York City arrests unlawfully present Mexican citizen, child sex offender

NEW YORK - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City arrested Raymond Rojas Basilio, a previously removed citizen of Mexico convicted of forcible touching of the sexual/intimate parts of another person, Dec. 17. The victim is less than 11-years old.

Fugitive operations officers arrested the 36-year-old predator outside his residence in Queens without incident pursuant to a warrant of removal. He is currently in ERO custody pending removal to Mexico.

"This criminal has repeatedly shown he has absolutely no regard for our nation's laws as evidenced by his repeated attempts to unlawfully or fraudulently enter the United States," said Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. "As this case illustrates, it only takes one successful unlawful entry to do irreparable harm to a member of our community. Unfortunately, non-cooperation policies prevented ERO from taking immediate custody of this individual upon completion of his local sentence; however, due to the diligence of our officers, ERO New York City was able to rapidly apprehend this public safety threat before he could harm any other New Yorkers."

The U.S. Border Patrol arrested Rojas, following three separate attempts to unlawfully enter the U.S. at or near Douglas, Arizona between May 3 and May 6, 2002.Rojas voluntarily returned to Mexico on each occasion. U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered Rojas Jan. 6, 2012, at Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, when he applied for admission to the U.S. Rojas presented an Arizona Driver's License and U.S Birth Certificate which CBP determined to be fraudulent. CBP processed Rojas, served him a notice and order of expedited removal and verified his departure to Mexico on the same date.

CBP encountered Rojas Jan. 11, 2012, at the Morley Gate Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, when he applied for admission to the U.S. Rojas again presented fraudulent documents in an attempt to gain entry. CBP processed Rojas, served him a notice and order of expedited removal and verified his departure to Mexico the next day.

Rojas later unlawfully entered the U.S. on an unknown date and location without admission by an immigration official.

The New York Police Department arrested Rojas Aug. 28, 2023, for the crimes of first-degree sexual abuse with an individual less than 11-years-old. Rojas was released from local custody prior to ERO lodging an immigration detainer. The Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn convicted Rojas of forcible touching of the intimate parts of another person, Sept. 20, 2024. The court sentenced him Nov. 11 to 60 days incarceration, six years' probation and required him to register as a sex offender.

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. The Executive Office for Immigration Review 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. ERO officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

ERO is one of ICE's three operational directorates and 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.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing ICE's online tip form.

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