ICE deports international fugitive wanted for murder in Brazil

MIAMI - A Brazilian national, who is wanted for a 1991 murder, was deported on Tuesday by local officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Joao de Oliveira, 51, was charged in January 1997 for the murder of Absolon Ferreira de Souza. According to the arrest warrant, on April 15, 1991, De Oliveira and the victim had an altercation outside a bar, which resulted in De Oliveira fatally shooting de Souza with a .22-caliber handgun.

"Returning this fugitive to Brazil is a prime example of how ICE works closely with our international law enforcement partners to identify, locate and deport aliens who are wanted in their home countries for allegedly committing heinous crimes," said Marc Moore, field office director for ICE ERO in Miami. "ICE prioritizes the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens and as a result, our communities are safer and more secure."

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested De Oliveira in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., on March 26, 2009. He entered ICE custody at the Krome Detention Center on April 2, 2009.

ICE ERO Miami coordinated De Oliveira's deportation with Brazilian Federal Police, and with the ICE Attaché office in Brazil.

De Oliveira originally entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without permission.