Wanted for murder in Brazil, the 31-year-old fugitive is arrested nearly 7,000 miles away among the rich and famous at MARTHA’S VINEYARD after illegally entering the US multiple times
Wanted for murder in Brazil, the 31-year-old fugitive is arrested nearly 7,000 miles away among the rich and famous at MARTHA’S VINEYARD after illegally entering the US multiple times
- Brazilian fugitive Hiago Ornela-Da Silva was arrested in Martha’s Vineyard
- He has been wanted in Brazil for murder since February 2022
- It is unclear when he last entered the US and how long he has been on the island
A Brazilian fugitive wanted for murder has been arrested nearly 7,000 miles away on Martha’s Vineyard, living among America’s rich and famous.
Hiago Ornela-Da Silva was captured by federal agents Edgartown, Massachusetts on Thursday.
Ornela-Da Silva went on the run in February last year after being named as a murder suspect in Barra de Sao Francisco in the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo.
It’s not clear how the illegal immigrant came to Martha’s Vineyard, but U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said he entered the country illegally several times, dating back to 2007.
The billionaire enclave was a destination last year for migrants sent north by Florida’s Republican governor, Ron de Santis, in an effort to highlight Democrats’ disastrous border policies.
Hiago Ornela-Da Silva, 31, was arrested Thursday in Martha’s Vineyard
Authorities say he has entered the country illegally several times since 2007 and they do not know when he last entered the U.S. or how long he has lived on the island.
Ornela-Da Silva has been wanted in Brazil for murder since February 2022
“The arrest of this Brazilian non-citizen demonstrates our commitment to prioritizing enforcement and removal efforts against unlawfully present non-citizens wanted for crimes in their home countries,” said Todd Lyons, Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in the Boston Field Office.
The agency said the fugitive first entered the U.S. illegally as a minor in December 2007 and was removed by a judge in June 2008.
In July 2008, he filed a request to revoke that removal, which was granted in August 2008. But in January 2009 he was again ordered to leave the country.
In August 2009, he left the US via New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Officials said he then unlawfully re-entered the country at an unknown date and location without being inspected. He will remain in custody pending extradition.
Noncitizens placed in removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).
EOIR is an agency within the Department of Justice and separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
In September 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis flew 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard in what some called a political stunt.
In September 2022, DeSantis flew 50 migrants to the prosperous island.
The move sparked outrage among the liberal leaders of the small Massachusetts island, who labeled it “inhumane.”
The average home in Martha’s Vineyard is worth more than $800,000, according to the census, and the median household income is $77,392.
In fiscal year 2022 BHV arrested 46,396 non-citizens with a criminal history.
This group had 198,498 charges and convictions, including 21,531 felonies, 8,164 sex and sexual assault crimes, 5,554 weapons crimes, 1,501 murder-related crimes, and 1,114 kidnapping crimes.