Three Guatemalan nationals wanted in a murder case back home were arrested at a West Palm Beach residence on Tuesday, after Florida troopers and federal partners tracked them to the property, authorities said. The men were reportedly living in the United States without authorization, and the takedown is being held up as part of a broader statewide push to find fugitives who have crossed international borders.
According to WPEC, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said its Criminal Alien Apprehension Team (CAAT) troopers traced the suspects to a home and, working with an ICE Atlanta team, carried out an operation that ended in their arrest. The department told the station the men had active INTERPOL arrest warrants tied to an alleged murder in Guatemala and added, "Florida is NOT a sanctuary for violent fugitives."
State Unit And Federal Partners
Florida has recently ramped up its cooperation with federal immigration agencies, including a $13.6 million federal award to expand 287(g) task force operations, the department’s press release notes. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said the CAAT program and related operations have resulted in thousands of apprehensions and hundreds of charges so far this year, as state and federal teams lean harder into cross-border cases.
What An INTERPOL Red Notice Means
INTERPOL explains that a Red Notice is essentially a global alert: a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is not, on its own, an arrest warrant. Member countries still apply their own laws when deciding whether to detain someone, the organization notes. INTERPOL says Red Notices are issued at the request of a member country and must comply with the agency’s internal rules.
What’s Next
Officials have not yet released the suspects’ names or said whether Guatemala has formally requested extradition, according to WPEC. Any transfer to Guatemalan authorities would hinge on a series of diplomatic and legal steps between jurisdictions, and in the meantime, the men are expected to move through standard immigration-processing procedures while those decisions play out.
