WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) – The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says agents have arrested a Jamaican fugitive in Philadelphia who is wanted for murder in Jamaica.

Twenty-three-year-old Jeovann Anthony Forde was arrested by Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents and US Marshals Service deputies on December 17 and remains in ERO custody pending his removal from the United States.

Forde, who was living in Philadelphia, was reportedly arrested during a targeted enforcement operation without incident.

“Forde’s arrest should send a clear message to anyone who attempts to flee prosecution in their home country that you will be caught, and you will be returned to face justice,” said Acting ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director, Brian McShane.

ICE said US Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Forde in San Ysidro, California, on July 18, 2022; he was enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention SmartLink programme and released on July 19, 2022.

ICE said his participation was terminated on June 27, 2023, after he failed to abide by the terms of the programme, and an immigration judge ordered Forde removed in absentia on July 24, 2023.

Jamaican authorities issued a warrant for Forde almost a year later, on May 24, 2024, for murder.