December 23, 2024Washington, DCHuman Rights Violators, Enforcement and Removal
ERO Washington, D.C. removes high-ranking Somali national convicted of human rights violations
Yusuf Abdi Ali, 71, a citizen of Somalia
WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Washington, D.C., removed Yusuf Abdi Ali, 71, a citizen of Somalia, from the United States to Somalia Dec. 20.
Ali, aka “Tukeh,” had been residing in Springfield, Virginia, and served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Somali National Army and Commander of the Fifth Brigade in Northwest Somalia from approximately May 1987 to July 1988. The Somali National Army committed numerous serious human rights violations against civilians during that time, including the arbitrary arrest and execution of suspected political opponents, the burning of entire towns, the unlawful use of landmines and the destruction of water reservoirs to target the civilian population.
“The United States will not be a safe haven for those who commit human rights violations, and we will persist in our efforts to pursue justice for the victims of these crimes,” said ERO acting Executive Associate Director Russell Hott. “Though justice was delayed in this case, it ultimately prevailed.”
Homeland Security Investigations’ Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center requested HSI Washington, D.C., initiate an investigation into the whereabouts of Ali in March 2020. HSI Washington, D.C., subsequently located and arrested Ali and in November 2022, and ERO Washington, D.C. took custody and detained Ali at that time.
https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ero-washington-dc-removes-high-ranking-somali-national-convicted-human-rights
