Caribbean nationals were among 133 undocumented immigrants apprehended during a recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation targeting individuals with criminal convictions and other immigration violations in western, central, and northern New York.
ICE reported that nationals from Trinidad and Tobago and the Dominican Republic were among those arrested during the five-day operation, conducted between March 24 and 28. Among the more serious cases were a 49-year-old Trinidadian convicted of murder, and two Dominican nationals — a 66-year-old convicted of course sexual conduct with a child, and a 70-year-old convicted of manslaughter and drug trafficking offenses.
“This operation reflects our continued commitment to public safety and national security through targeted enforcement,” said Philip Rhoney, acting deputy field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Buffalo. He credited the agency’s success to its partnerships and intelligence-driven strategies, adding, “I am grateful for the professionalism and support from all of our partners during this week-long operation to remove dangerous alien offenders from our New York communities.”
Although ICE’s primary focus was in the Buffalo area, the operation extended across upstate regions including Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Rouses Point, and Massena. Of the total arrests, 84 were made in the Buffalo and Rochester areas, with 49 others apprehended in the remaining locations.
According to ICE, 20 of those arrested had prior criminal convictions or pending charges, including three convicted of murder. Nine individuals had previously been deported from the United States but reentered illegally.
Two Jamaican nationals removed for felony convictions
In a separate enforcement action, ICE New York City also reported the removal of two Jamaican nationals convicted of serious felony offenses on February 27.
Nascimento Blair, 44, entered the U.S. in 2004 on a temporary visa but later violated the terms of his stay. He was arrested by the Mount Vernon Police Department in 2005 for first-degree kidnapping, convicted, and sentenced to 15 years in prison. An immigration judge ordered his removal in 2008, and although Blair appealed, the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed the case later that year. He was taken into ICE custody again in July 2024 and deported earlier this year.
The second case involved Nevel Larey Heslop, 67, who immigrated to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident in 1984. Heslop was convicted of homicide in New Jersey in 1991 and sentenced to 30 years in prison. A removal order was issued in 1996 and upheld on appeal the following year. ICE arrested him again in 2021 after his release from custody, but delays in obtaining travel documents from Jamaica prolonged the process. He was re-arrested in February 2025 and subsequently removed.
Both men remained in ICE custody until they were deported from the United States.
