ICE Arrests Suspect In Westchester For Dominican Republic Murder

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A potentially dangerous fugitive was arrested in Westchester County, according to federal officials.

On Monday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement New York City arrested Marlon Josuel Cruz Fernandez. The fugitive from the Dominican Republic is wanted in his home country for homicide.

ICE officers and special agents assigned to ICE's Newburgh office, along with special agents from the FBI, the DEA and, Homeland Security Investigations, arrested Cruz without incident in New Rochelle pursuant to a warrant of arrest, according to the agencies involved.

"This foreign fugitive mistakenly thought he could exploit our immigration laws to evade arrest in his home country," ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations New York City acting Field Office Director Judith Almodovar said. "Let his futile attempt highlight to other criminal aliens we will always collaborate with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to ensure these fugitives are returned to their home countries to face justice."

Officials say that the U.S. Border Patrol arrested Cruz on Dec. 11, 2015, in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas after he illegally entered the U.S. At the time, Border Patrol officials served him with a notice to appear for violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act and turned him over to ICE for detention placement. ICE Harlingen granted Cruz bond on Feb. 1, 2016, which he posted three days later. Cruz then failed to appear for his immigration proceedings on Jan. 5, 2017, according to the feds. The immigration judge ordered him removed in absentia from the U.S. to the Dominican Republic.

On Feb. 2, 2018, authorities in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, issued a warrant for Cruz's arrest for a homicide, and the warrant went international six weeks later. ICE New York City received notification on March 16 of this year.

The New Rochelle Police Department arrested Cruz for having improper plates and impounded his vehicle on Saturday. They released Cruz on his own recognizance before realizing that he was an international fugitive wanted for homicide. Once they received this information, New Rochelle police notified ICE New York City, which, along with other federal agencies, arrested Cruz.

He is currently detained in ICE custody pending removal to the Dominican Republic, authorities said.