ICE arrests suspected Liberian warlord in New York

WASHINGTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently arrested George Boley, the leader of the Liberian Peace Council (LPC) faction during the Liberian civil war.  Various organizations have reported that the LPC engaged in serious human rights abuses against the civilian population of the West African country during its more than decade-long civil war.  

On Jan. 15, 2010, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued Boley a “Notice to Appear” in immigration removal proceedings before the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) in Batavia, N.Y.  At that time, CBP charged Boley with being present in the United States without valid, unexpired immigration documents and with having committed, ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in extrajudicial  killings overseas.  Boley’s immigration court hearing is pending.    

“ICE will not allow the United States to be a safe haven for those who have come to our country in an effort to evade prosecution and punishment for the crimes they have committed against others,” said John Morton, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for ICE. “We will not relent in our efforts to ensure that human rights violators are brought to justice and removed from our communities.” 

A 1995 U.S. Department of State report, “Human Rights Practices in Liberia”, documented credible reports that Boley authorized the extrajudicial executions of seven of his soldiers on Nov. 14, 1995.  Additionally, witnesses recently testified before the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), a non-judicial forum for testifying about war-time atrocities, that the LPC burned alive dozens of captives in Grand Gedeh County, northern Liberia, in 1994. 

Since early 2003, the ICE Office of Investigations has maintained a specific unit to manage the national efforts vis-à-vis human rights violators, the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Unit (HRVWCU). The unit mission is twofold. The first part is to prevent the admission of foreign war crimes suspects, persecutors and human rights abusers into the United States. The second part is to identify, prosecute and ultimately remove such offenders who are already unlawfully in the United States and who have committed acts ranging from genocide, torture and war crimes to serious violations of religious freedoms or other forms of persecution.  Pursuant to that mandate, the ICE Office of Investigation investigated Boley based on allegations that he was the leader of a warring faction in Liberia known to have committed human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.   

ICE continues to solicit information concerning the Liberian Peace Council. Please contact ICE Special Agent Kevin Ryan at kevin.ryan1@dhs.gov if you have been a victim of LPC abuses or have other relevant information. 

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.
ICE is comprised of four integrated divisions that form a 21^st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit:  www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.