A 54-year-old Costa Rican man identified by the surname Grijalva has been located in the United States while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said the Judicial Investigation Organization (OIJ).

According to a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, specifically its Chicago branch, which also handles security cases in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, Grijalva was convicted of a traffic offense in Indiana in 2024.

The Costa Rican is currently in ICE custody because he is considered an “illegal alien” and had a foreign fugitive Red Notice issued for him as a suspect wanted in connection with a homicide, authorities said in a post on X.

Grijalva has an active arrest warrant in Costa Rica as a suspect in connection with a homicide that occurred in April 2016 in the locality of Zapote, in the Puerto Viejo District of the Sarapiquí Canton, Heredia Province, the OIJ reported.

The investigation indicated that Grijalva had allegedly left Costa Rica for the United States. Judicial agents then coordinated with the investigations unit of the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica, as well as the FBI and ICE, to determine the suspect’s whereabouts.

The investigation led INTERPOL agents to locate Grijalva while he was in ICE custody.

U.S. authorities will keep Grijalva in custody until the process is completed with his deportation to Costa Rica, where he will face legal proceedings as a suspect in the homicide.

ICE agents are authorized to arrest noncitizens when they have administrative or probable cause to believe a person is violating U.S. immigration laws.

Most interior arrests occur when local police departments or sheriff’s offices book someone into custody, run the person’s fingerprints through national databases and notify ICE. The agency may then issue a detainer request asking that the person be held for up to 48 hours, according to information on the agency’s website.

Recently, ICE also held and later released a Costa Rican influencer popularly known as Julián Valverde in Tampa, Florida. He had been held following his arrest for driving with an expired license.

The OIJ is a branch of Costa Rica’s Supreme Court of Justice and is responsible for conducting criminal investigations nationwide.

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