News from June 2023
Statement from Secretary Mayorkas on CBP Leadership Transitions
By Homeland Newswire | Jun 10, 2023
News Release: “I join Acting Commissioner Troy Miller in thanking Acting Deputy Commissioner Benjamine “Carry" Huffman and Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz for their invaluable service to our Department and am proud to announce the promotion of Pete Flores to serve as Acting Deputy Commissioner, Jason Owens to serve as the Chief of the Border Patrol, and Diane Sabatino to serve as the Acting Executive Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Field Operations.
DHS Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee discussed on June 9 by Homeland Security Department
By Homeland Newswire | Jun 10, 2023
The US Homeland Security Department published a three page notice on June 9, according to the U.S. Government Publishing Office.
DHS to Ban Imports from Two Additional PRC-Based Companies as Part of Its Enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
By Homeland Newswire | Jun 10, 2023
News Release: WASHINGTON - Today the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new actions to keep forced labor practices out of the U.S. supply chain. The interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (FLETF), led by DHS, added two People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based companies to the Uyghur Forced ...
Five Charged in Theft of California Benefits for Low Income Families
By Homeland Newswire | Jun 10, 2023
News Release: SAN DIEGO Five men were arrested and charged in connection with the theft of tens of thousands of dollars in public-assistance benefits from low-income families that need the funds to pay for food, housing and other necessities.
ICE conducts removal flights June 7
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted multiple removal flights including to Guatemala and Honduras as part of dozens of flights conducted each week throughout the hemisphere and around the world.
ERO Philadelphia removes noncitizen wanted for murder to Dominican Republic
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
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.
ICE conducts removal flights June 1
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted multiple removal flights including to Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Peru as part of dozens of flights conducted each week.
2 Nigerian nationals plead guilty to fraud scheme involving elderly US victims after HSI Tucson investigation
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
Two Nigerian nationals who were extradited to the United States from the United Kingdom pleaded guilty to operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme in May after a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tucson investigation involving the Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
ICE conducts removal flights June 2
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted multiple removal flights including to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as part of dozens of flights conducted each week.
Virginia man sentenced to 36 years for production of child sexual abuse material after HSI Norfolk investigation
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Norfolk and the Chesapeake Police Department has resulted in a 36-year federal prison sentence for a Virginia man for producing child sexual abuse material. Jonathan Wilson, 35, of Chesapeake, received the lengthy prison sentence June 1 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Norfolk.
HSI Eagle Pass arrests 2 trucking company employees for alleged wire fraud
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
Two Eagle Pass women were arrested May 26 on a four-count indictment related to their alleged scheme to defraud and embezzle money from their employer, a Texas-based trucking company headquartered in Eagle Pass. The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Virginia man sentenced to 10 years for distributing child sexual abuse material after HSI Washington, D.C. investigation
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
An investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. landed a Virginia man in federal prison for 10 years followed by 15 years of supervised release, for distribution of child sexual abuse material. Francisco Burgos Jr., 38, of Chantilly, Virginia, received the sentence May 17 at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria.
ICE conducts removal flights June 6
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted multiple removal flights including to the Dominican Republic and Guatemala as part of dozens of flights conducted each week throughout the hemisphere and around the world.
HSI Nogales investigation sends firearms and ammunition smuggler to prison for 51 months
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
A federal judge sentenced Miguel Armando Castro, of Phoenix, to 51 months in prison followed by supervised release for attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition into Mexico. The judge also ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment. Castro pleaded guilty to smuggling goods from the United States following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) probe.
Canovanas man indicted for producing child sexual abuse material and exploiting a minor
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
On May 31, a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Christopher Joel Rabell-Pineiro, 25, of Canovanas, with production of child sexual abuse material and child exploitation. Authorities arrested Rabell-Pineiro on June 6.
9 indicted in Joint Task Force Alpha investigation after human smuggling organization takedown
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
An indictment against nine alleged human smugglers was unsealed June 5 following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Border Patrol assisted with the case.
2 men sentenced to prison in HSI Tucson smuggling and hostage case
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
On June 2, a judge sentenced a Mexican national to 18 years in prison for his involvement in human smuggling, hostage taking and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Marana Police Department.
HSI Arizona joins law enforcement partners to disrupt networks facilitating fraud schemes
By Homeland Newswire Report | Jun 11, 2023
Over the past three months, special agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) partnered with federal, state and local law enforcement officials operating in Arizona in a national campaign to disrupt networks used by foreign fraudsters who obtain proceeds through various schemes. The campaign addressed conduct by individuals sometimes referred to as “money mules” who serve fraudsters by receiving money from victims and forwarding proceeds to perpetrators, many of whom are based overseas.
Sullivan County Woman Arrested For Multimillion-Dollar Money Laundering And Bank Fraud Scheme
By Homeland Newswire | Jun 11, 2023
News Release: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Patrick J. Freaney, the Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the United States Secret Service (USSS), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging TETIANA BERRIORS with conspiring to commit ...
“HONORING INAUGURAL CLASS OF DHS ICDF PROGRAM” published by the Congressional Record in the Extensions of Remarks section on June 6
By Homeland Newswire | Jun 11, 2023
“HONORING INAUGURAL CLASS OF DHS ICDF PROGRAM“ was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on page E527 on June 6