ICE Arrests Uzbek National in Brooklyn on Immigration Case

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Sobirjon Sobirov Khusen Ugli was arrested near his Brooklyn residence on October 14. The 35-year-old, who is from Uzbekistan, is now in ICE custody while removal proceedings are underway.

ICE Arrest Highlights Questions About Release and Immigration Enforcement

Sobirjon Sobirov Khusen Ugli was arrested in Brooklyn on October 14, but his path through the immigration system began in April 2023. ICE says he crossed near Lukeville, Arizona, with a group of 110 people and was released with a notice to appear in immigration proceedings in New York City.

The 35-year-old Uzbek national reported to authorities once, in May 2024, and did not check in afterward, ICE said. He is now in ICE custody as removal proceedings continue.

ICE also cited Sobirov’s criminal history. It said he was convicted of felony theft in Uzbekistan in 2020 and sentenced to five years in prison. In 2013, he was arrested in Thailand and admitted to killing his girlfriend, according to news coverage referenced by ICE. That coverage does not establish whether he was convicted or served time for the killing.

In New York, police took him into custody over harassing communications and he received a restraining order from a Kings County Criminal Court judge in 2024, ICE said. The case raises questions about how the immigration system handled a person with this record after his border crossing and release. ICE says it seeks to arrest and remove people it considers threats to public safety.

Brooklyn Arrest Shows Stakes of Releasing Criminal Migrants

Sobirjon Sobirov Khusen Ugli was living in Brooklyn after crossing the southern border in April 2023, when Border Patrol encountered him with a group of 110 people, ICE said. He was released with a notice to appear in immigration court and reported once, in May 2024, before failing to check in again, according to the agency.

ICE arrested the 35-year-old Uzbek national near his residence on October 14. He remains in custody while removal proceedings continue. His case underscores the public-safety stakes of releasing people into the country while their immigration cases are pending.

ICE says Sobirov was convicted of felony theft in Uzbekistan in 2020 and received a five-year prison sentence. The agency also cited his 2013 arrest in Thailand for his girlfriend’s murder and his admission to the killing, based on news coverage. That coverage does not say whether he was convicted or served prison time for that crime.

In 2024, NYPD officers took Sobirov into custody over harassing communications, and a Kings County Criminal Court judge issued a restraining order, ICE said. The agency’s New York City field office director said ICE targets people it considers dangerous threats to public safety. Sobirov’s case now moves through removal proceedings.