More than 130 illegal immigrants were deported to central Asian countries by US Immigration officials, including 90 who were shipped back to Uzbekistan — some with alarming rap sheets.
The repatriation flight departed from New York on April 29, with the illegal immigrants having been arrested in New York City and Ohio, according to ICE.
Among the Uzbek deportees was Kobiljon Nomoz Ugli Makhmudov, who was found guilty of attempted abduction in January after being arrested in Blue Ash, Ohio, on kidnapping and robbery charges in 2022.
Another was Oleg Korsuntsev, who was first arrested in 2008 for attempted assault, then again in 2009 for criminal mischief and finally in 2019 for first degree attempted assault in Brooklyn.
And Burkhon Achilov was convicted in January of breaking and entering in Warren County, Ohio, along with resisting arrest. He was sentenced to nearly 300 days in jail over those convictions before being marked for deportation.
Uzbekistan paid in full for the deportation of its nationals, DHS said.
Migrants from Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan were also on the deportation flights.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s coordination with the government of Uzbekistan was instrumental in the successful removal of these individuals,” said DHS Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia Field Office Director Brian McShane.
“It is precisely this kind of leadership that enables ICE to continue to fulfill its mission of protecting the American public by ensuring that our immigration enforcement efforts uphold safety and security for communities across the country.”
The deportations were just the latest round in the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal immigration – with much of the effort so far being focused on people with criminal backgrounds.
As of April, more than 100,000 people had been deported since Trump took office on Jan. 20.
