Fugitive wanted for murder in his home country of Brazil captured on Martha’s Vineyard

EDGARTOWN, Mass. — A 31-year-old fugitive wanted for murder in his home country of Brazil was recently captured while staying on Martha’s Vineyard, federal immigration officials said.

The man, who has unlawfully entered the U.S. numerous times since 2007, was captured by federal and local law enforcement officers in Edgartown on Thursday, officials said.

It was unclear Monday exactly for how long the wanted fugitive had been living on the island.

Deportation officers from Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston’s Fugitive Operations team, along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations, and detectives from the Edgartown Police Department, apprehended the man, officials said.

“The arrest of this Brazilian noncitizen demonstrates our commitment to prioritizing enforcement and removal efforts against unlawfully present noncitizens who are wanted for crimes in their home countries,” Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons said in a statement. “The cooperation with CBP Air and Marine Operations, as well as the Edgartown Police Department, was instrumental in successfully apprehending this individual. We are appreciative of the Edgartown Police Department’s ongoing support of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

The Brazilian national unlawfully entered the U.S. as a minor on Dec. 5, 2007, and was apprehended by U. S. Border Patrol at that time, placed into removal proceedings and released, officials said. He was ordered removed in absentia by an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review on June 17, 2008.

The Brazilian noncitizen filed a motion to reopen and rescind the removal order on July 17, 2008, which was granted on August 15, 2008. He was again ordered removed in absentia by an immigration judge with Executive Office for Immigration Review on Jan.15, 2009.

He left the U.S. on his own on Aug. 14, 2009, through the John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, officials said. After that time, he reentered the U.S. on an unknown date at an unknown location without being inspected, admitted or paroled by an immigration official.

The man will remain in custody pending his removal from the United States, officials said.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review, an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice that 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. Enforcement and Removal Operations officers carry out the removal decisions made by federal immigration judges.

In fiscal year 2022, Enforcement and Removal Operations arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.

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

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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