US Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced Friday that Andre Ali, 27, a citizen and national of Guyana, was arrested and charged with escape from custody, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
According to a United States (US) Department of Justice news release, Special Assistant US Attorney Michael J Smith stated that in the early morning hours of September 1, 2025, at the Rainbow Bridge Port of Entry in Niagara Falls, NY, Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Ali, who was driving a vehicle that made a wrong turn onto the bridge, coming from the US.
Ali did not have an identity document and was escorted to secondary inspection, during which it was determined that he was unlawfully present in the United States. Ali was admitted to the US in April 2018 as a visitor and was authorised to remain for a temporary period, not to exceed October 15, 2018.
He was handcuffed and escorted to a secure room to await his administrative processing.
A short time later, an officer opened the door to the secure room to tell Ali that he was being detained and must see a judge. Less than a minute after the officer left the area, Ali climbed on top of a bench in the secure room and proceeded to climb into the ceiling cavity.
A short time later, he fell through the ceiling in the room directly adjacent to the secure room, where he crawled under a shelf. Officers quickly noticed Ali had escaped and retook physical control, the release stated.
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