DHS Condemns NY Times’ Coverage of Deported Jamaican Murderer

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) criticized The New York Times on Monday for its portrayal of Orville Etoria, a Jamaican man previously convicted of murder, who was deported by the Trump administration. The Times article, titled “Man Who’d Served His Time in U.S. Is Deported to an African Prison,” highlighted Etoria’s accomplishments in prison, neglecting to emphasize the details of his 1996 murder conviction.

Orville Etoria was sentenced to 25 years to life for fatally shooting a man in Brooklyn nearly 30 years ago. After serving over 25 years, he was released in 2021 but was allowed to remain in the U.S. under the Biden administration, despite an existing deportation order. During his incarceration, he completed a bachelor’s degree and pursued a master’s in divinity.

In its statement, the DHS asserted that the Times’ narrative downplayed the severity of Etoria’s crime and expressed outrage at the media’s framing of the story. “It is absolutely revolting that the New York Times is actively defending convicted murderers over American citizens,” said a post from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on X, formerly known as Twitter.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin noted that five deportees, including Etoria, were sent to Eswatini, a country in southern Africa, stating on X, “These depraved monsters have been terrorizing American communities.” However, she acknowledged that Jamaica and other countries had refused to accept Etoria and the other deportees.

The New York Times report detailed Etoria’s past and the controversy surrounding his deportation. Immigration rights attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick responded to DHS’s criticism, arguing that the Times had presented facts about Etoria’s crime in its first sentence of the article. He emphasized that the debates surrounding Etoria’s deportation raise questions about the treatment of criminals who have served their time.

Despite the deportation order issued against him and Trump’s stringent immigration policies, Etoria’s case has sparked discussions about the fairness of deporting individuals to countries where they may lack citizenship, access to due process, and support.