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Agentes federales escoltan a un detenido esposado hacia un avión en la pista de un aeropuerto
Imagen generada alusiva a una escolta federal en un aeropuerto, sin personas identificables. · Erick Prometeo Media

ICE removed an accused fugitive wanted for homicide in Guyana

ICE removed Kanand Ojha, a 45-year-old Guyanese citizen wanted for the alleged murder of Nephi Noel in Georgetown in 2015, on Sept. 18.

--- The context --- The removal of a Guyanese citizen accused at home raises how authorities should pursue people wanted by foreign courts inside the United States, always separating accusation from proven guilt. --- The facts --- On Sept. 18, Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed Kanand Ojha, a 45-year-old citizen of Guyana wanted in his home country for a 2015 murder. The Guyanese National Police Force wants Ojha for the alleged murder of Nephi Noel in the capital city of Georgetown on July 15, 2015. Ojha was arrested on Sept. 8, 2025, in Long Island City, New York, by the U.S. Marshals Service regional fugitive task force, made up of personnel from the Marshals Service, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations. He entered lawfully through John F. Kennedy International Airport on July 22, 2015, and his status was revoked on July 27, 2015, because of the outstanding warrant in Guyana. --- The positions --- Kenneth Genalo, director of the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field office in New York City, argued that New Yorkers are safer because the accused man is no longer free to roam local neighborhoods. He criticized those who obstruct lawful cooperation between immigration authorities and law enforcement partners, saying they place politics ahead of safety, and credited President Trump and Secretary Mullin with protective leadership. --- What remains unknown --- It is not known how the case will proceed in Guyana or when Ojha will appear before a Guyanese court. Nor is it detailed whether he had legal representation in the United States or how his status revocation was processed. --- Unanswered questions --- When will Ojha appear before a court in Guyana over the alleged murder of Nephi Noel? What procedural safeguards will he receive at that trial? How was the warrant verified before his status was revoked in 2015? --- EPM analysis --- The alleged accomplice, Ron Andel Forde, was tried in June 2017 and sentenced to 20 years after pleading to a lesser charge of manslaughter. That record shows a negotiated conviction, while Ojha remains an accused man awaiting his own trial, with no declaration of guilt. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, the removal closes a long search, but it should not be read as an early verdict against a man who remains an alleged offender until a Guyanese court decides. The value of the operation lies in placing a man wanted since 2015 before the justice system of his own country, and its limit lies in official language that presents him almost as already convicted. Safety and due process do not compete: the first gains legitimacy when the second is respected without exceptions.
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