Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in New York City, along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have arrested Jose Dimas Guerra Castro, a 53-year-old Salvadoran national previously convicted of murder. Authorities took Guerra into custody after a brief foot chase in Hempstead on January 29.
Guerra entered the United States without inspection by immigration officials at an unknown date and location. In 2003, he was arrested by the Hialeah Police Department in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and charged with homicide and second-degree murder with a deadly weapon. The 11th Judicial Circuit Court convicted him of second-degree murder in 2017, sentencing him to up to 18 years in prison.
On July 1, 2019, ERO Miami encountered Guerra at the Central Florida Reception Center and filed an immigration detainer with the Florida Department of Corrections. After completing his sentence, he was transferred to ICE custody on July 2, 2019, and subsequently removed to El Salvador later that month. He later reentered the United States illegally and traveled to New York City.
““When ICE says we’re arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, this is exactly who we mean,” said ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo. “While politicians continue to prioritize criminal illegal aliens over law abiding New Yorkers, our officers are on the front lines every day keeping our communities safe from murderers, drug traffickers, child sex abusers and gang members. I commend their exceptional work and that of our partners for their diligence in getting this convicted murderer off the streets of New York.””
Following his recent arrest in Hempstead, Guerra is being held without bond in ICE custody. He faces prosecution for illegal reentry as an aggravated felon in the Eastern District of New York.
ICE has stated it currently has immigration detainers lodged against more than 7,000 individuals living illegally in New York who have been accused or convicted of violent crimes such as murder or sexual offenses. The agency urges local authorities to cooperate with these detainers for public safety reasons.
For information about suspected criminal alien activity within communities or to report tips anonymously online or via phone at 866-DHS-2-ICE.
