April 25, 2007

ICE arrests two illegal aliens wanted for murder in Brazil
One subject was an immigration fugitive

BOSTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the greater Boston area have recently arrested two illegal aliens wanted for murder in their native Brazil.

ICE arrested Americino Felizberto Goncalves, 54, and Marcelo Eterno Dos Santos, 29, both Brazilian nationals, because they are illegally in this country.

Goncalves was identified as an immigration fugitive because he defied a 2005 removal order from a federal immigration judge, and failed to leave the United States.

ICE officers, with assistance from the Boston Fugitive Apprehension Team, arrested Goncalves without incident on Wednesday April 11, 2007, at his home at 9 Skinner Street, Brockton, MA. During the course of an interview with ICE officers, Goncalves informed ICE that he was in fact wanted for murder in Brazil. Law enforcement authorities have verified that information. Goncalves is currently in ICE custody and will remain in custody pending his removal from the U.S.

ICE agents arrested dos Santos without incident on Thursday April 19, 2007, at his home at 46 First Street, Medford, MA. Acting on a tip, ICE agents located and arrested Dos Santos. He has been charged with being illegally in the United States and will face a removal hearing in immigration court. He is currently in ICE custody pending the outcome of his case. Law enforcement authorities have verified that Dos Santos is wanted in Brazil for murder. He was convicted in 2005 in Goiana, Brazil of murder, but fled before serving his sentence.

Bruce E. Chadbourne, field office director of ICE's New England field office commended the Boston field office's fugitive apprehension team for the arrest of Goncalves. "The diligence of our fugitive apprehension team not only resulted in the apprehension of an immigration fugitive, but also has resulted in a dangerous wanted felon being taken off the street to face justice in his home country."

Bruce M. Foucart, special agent in charge of ICE's Office of Investigations in Boston further stated, "The good work of ICE's special agents and fugitive operations officers have taken two more dangerous felons off the streets of our communities. ICE will continue to use all of our resources to remove these wanted criminals from our streets and make our neighborhoods safer."

Since March of 2005, ICE agents in Boston have arrested six illegal aliens wanted for murder in Brazil who fled to Massachusetts. Rodrigo Barros was arrested in March of 2005, Joao Gabriel Da Silva was arrested in June of 2006, Jose Serafim Sales, aka Barrerito was arrested in May 2006, and Vander Pedro Silveira was arrested in February 2007. All four fugitives have since been deported.

The U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service assisted ICE in the arrest of both individuals.

These arrests are a result of ICE's interior enforcement strategy that was announced in April 2006 by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers. A critical element of this enforcement strategy is to identify and remove criminal aliens, fugitives and other immigration violators from the United States.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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