ERO New York City arrests Honduran national charged with carjacking and convicted of assault

NEW YORK - Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City's Long Island office arrested a Honduran national Aug. 1 who was convicted of assault and charged with robbery/carjacking in New York.

"Our ERO Long Island officers are to be commended for their diligence regarding the arrest of this unlawfully present Honduran individual who has proven to be a danger to the community," said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo.

The Honduran national crossed into the United States unlawfully Feb. 17, 2019, and was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol near Eagle Pass, Texas. Border Patrol officials issued the Honduran national a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge released him from custody.

The Nassau County Police Department arrested and arraigned the Honduran national March 24 in the Nassau County 1st District Court for first-degree robbery and displaying what appeared to be a firearm; criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree: loaded firearm; grand larceny in the third degree: property value exceeding $3,000; assault in the third degree with intent to cause physical injury; menacing in the second degree: weapon; and menacing in the third degree.

The charges were filed as the result of an incident where the Honduran national and his father blocked another motor vehicle with theirs and demanded the victim exit the vehicle while the Honduran national's father brandished a firearm. Once the victim exited the vehicle, the Honduran national and his father proceeded to assault the victim by kicking and punching him.

On April 25, the Nassau County 1st District Court convicted the Honduran national upon a plea of guilty for assault in the third degree: reckless cause of physical injury. On Aug. 1, deportation officers from ERO New York City's Long Island office arrested the Honduran national without incident pursuant to an administrative warrant of arrest. The Honduran national is currently detained in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. The Honduran national's father remains in the custody of the Nassau County Police Department.

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 ICE. 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, at @ERONewYork.