ICE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
06/01/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/01/2023 11:22
ERO Philadelphia removes noncitizen wanted for murder to Dominican Republic
PHILADELPHIA - ERO Philadelphia removed a citizen of the Dominican Republic with a final order of removal on an ICE Air Operations charter aircraft May 30. Edickson Paulino Castano, 52, is a foreign fugitive wanted by law enforcement authorities in the Dominican Republic for murder.
"The U.S. will not be a refuge for those hoping to avoid prosecution for heinous crimes they have committed in their home country," said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley. "ERO Philadelphia continues to work every day to keep the American public safe from criminal noncitizens who are in the U.S. illegally."
Paulino unlawfully entered the United States near Hidalgo, Texas, on April 13, 2008. He was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and served a notice to appear before an immigration judge.
On May 22, 2008, an immigration judge with the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) in Harlingen, Texas, ordered Paulino removed from the United States to the Dominican Republic. ERO San Antonio removed Paulino from the United States to the Dominican Republic in July of that year.
Paulino was arrested again by the U. S. Coast Guard as an applicant seeking admission into the United States on Oct. 31, 2008. On Nov. 1, 2008, U.S. Customs and Border Protection served him with a notice to appear.
He was prosecuted in November 2008 for reentry into the U.S. and in January 2009, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami sentenced him to time served and a year of supervised release for reentry after deportation.
An immigration judge with EOIR in Miami ordered Paulino removed from the United States to the Dominican Republic on Feb. 25, 2009. ERO Miami removed him on March 18, 2009.
Officials arrested Paulino near Eagle Pass, Texas, on Aug. 28, 2021, after he reentered the United States without admission or parole by an immigration official. On Sep. 2, 2021, ERO Harlingen released Paulino on an order of supervision.
Paulino's order of supervision was revoked in July 2022, and ERO Philadelphia arrested him at his residence in Allentown, Pennsylvania. On the same date, ERO Philadelphia transferred Paulino to Moshannon Valley Processing Center to await disposition of a reasonable fear claim.
On Feb. 8, 2023, ERO Philadelphia issued Paulino a new notice to appear, and on March 31, 2023, an immigration judge with EOIR ordered Paulino removed from the United States to the Dominican Republic.
In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions. These included 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.
As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) 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.
For more updates on noncitizens being removed from the community in the interest of public safety, follow ERO Philly on Twitter at @EROPhiladelphia.