On August 5, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) completed the removal of Daouda Begnon II Kone, a convicted Burkinabe coup leader, back to Burkina Faso, according to an official ICE news release. Kone, previously arrested in Cincinnati by ICE Detroit agents on June 9, was found to be ineligible for immigration benefits by an immigration judge during his proceedings.
The court had determined that Kone was an active participant in the 2015 coup d'état in Burkina Faso, while he was with the Presidential Security Regiment under President Blaise Compaore. Having been previously convicted for his involvement, Kone faced charges including complicity in an attack on state security and murder. Originally sentenced to seven years, with five years suspended, his removal follows the upholding of a final order of removal.
Acting Field Office Director Kevin Raycraft of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Detroit underscored the commitment to public safety, stating via ICE, "The dedicated officers of ERO Detroit are committed to removing this public safety threat and others like him from our communities across Michigan and Ohio." Raycraft also encouraged the public to report any human rights violators to the ICE tip line.
This case was part of a broader effort led by the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, which was established in 2009. Supporting the mandate, HSI New York, together with significant help from HSI and ERO Detroit's Cincinnati sub-office, pursued the investigation. As it currently stands, HSI is handling over 180 active investigations into suspected human rights violators from 95 countries, trailing more than 1,945 leads and cases of removals.
With an extensive reach, the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center has been able to issue over 79,000 lookouts for potential perpetrators of rights abuses since its inception, preventing more than 390 violators and war crimes suspects from entry into the U.S. Collectively, these efforts reflect an ongoing commitment by U.S. law enforcement to hold accountable those who have participated in human rights violations worldwide.
