WASHINGTON, DC – A convicted killer who entered the United States illegally from Jamaica was deported this month after serving more than a decade in prison for the 2009 murder of a Bronx father of seven. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials confirmed that Kemar Hamilton, a Jamaican national, was removed from the U.S. on January 8 following his homicide conviction in New York.
Key Points
- ICE deported Jamaican national Kemar Hamilton on January 8 after his homicide conviction
- Hamilton murdered 58-year-old father of seven, Edgar McCalla, in the Bronx in 2009
- ICE officials say Hamilton illegally entered the U.S. just a year before committing the crime
Murder tied to 2009 cold case in the Bronx
According to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Hamilton shot Edgar McCalla, a 58-year-old Jamaican immigrant, during a robbery outside McCalla’s Bronx home on February 19, 2009. Investigators said Hamilton fled the scene, leaving behind a prepaid cellphone later found by police.
At the time, the case went cold due to a lack of DNA matches. Two years later, Hamilton was stopped by police during a traffic stop and arrested after officers discovered a loaded firearm in his vehicle. Forensic testing linked his DNA to the cellphone left at the murder scene, breaking open the investigation.
Arrest, conviction, and deportation
Hamilton was convicted of homicide in New York and sentenced to more than a decade in prison. He had originally crossed the U.S. border illegally in 2008 and was released on his own recognizance after being apprehended by Border Patrol, pending immigration proceedings.
An immigration judge ordered him removed from the United States on December 23, 2009. Upon Hamilton’s release from Wende Correctional Facility in Alden in October 2025, ICE Buffalo officers immediately took him into custody to prevent his return to the community and complete his deportation process.
ICE officials condemn border failures
“I commend local law enforcement for breaking this murder case and the prosecutors for securing a conviction, but the truth is, Kemar Hamilton should have never been in this country in the first place,” said ICE Deputy Director Charles Wall. “Enforcing immigration law protects Americans — and it protects our immigrant communities. This criminal crossed our border illegally, then went on to murder a father of seven from his own home nation.”
ICE officials said Hamilton’s removal underscores the agency’s commitment to public safety and to removing violent foreign offenders who enter the country unlawfully.
TAGS: ICE, Enforcement and Removal, Jamaica