Former Pinochet agent released from ICE detention in Florida

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Armando Fernandez Larios, a former intelligence agent for the Pinochet regime involved in the 1976 assassination of Chilean Defense Minister Orlando Letelier and Ronni Karpen Moffitt, was released from ICE detention in Florida in March 2026. ICE had arrested the 76-year-old in October 2025 after classifying him as a criminal alien, but Fernandez Larios challenged the detention by citing a 1987 plea agreement. This agreement granted him a light prison sentence and a government promise to prevent his deportation or extradition to Chile in exchange for his cooperation with US prosecutors. The release occurred after Fernandez Larios filed a breach of contract lawsuit, which the US government sought to avoid litigating.

Consequences

Fernandez Larios remains in the United States under the terms of his original 1987 plea agreement, which protects him from deportation or extradition to Chile. The case highlights the continued impact of Cold War-era legal arrangements on modern immigration enforcement and international justice efforts.

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