Last week, U.S. Marshals arrested a Honduran man illegally living in the U.S. who was wanted for to fish and wildlife crimes at Cape Hatteras National Seashore and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Park rangers said Walter Betancourth was with a group of men they noticed overfishing red drum in June. They had taken 16 of the species that had a daily limit of one per person. In addition, several were too big and should have been thrown back.
Betancourth had already been issued a final order of removal from the United States in April, 2022.
U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle said, “Illegal Aliens come to our land and exploit our national resources doing as they please because they completely disregard our shared values, customs, and rules. North Carolina strictly regulates our fish to ensure their availability to all North Carolina citizens now and in the future. This sort of disgusting disregard for our natural bounty is exactly the sort of behavior you might expect from someone who chose to unlawfully enter and illegally remain in the United States, ignoring a final order of removal. Let this serve as a reminder to those aliens who are illegally present – we will find you and send you back no matter where you are or what you are doing – even just fishing at the beach. I commend the fine cooperation of the park rangers, the marshals, and ICE in effectuating Betancourth’s deportation.”
