The Department of Homeland Security told INC News that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued a detainer for Akbor Miah, who authorities say also went by the alias Shahidul Islam, seeking to take him into federal custody once his state criminal case is resolved.
DHS said Miah initially entered the United States in 2016, during the Obama administration. ICE arrested him in February 2018, and an immigration judge later issued a final order of removal that same year.
Officials said Miah was deported to Bangladesh in January 2019, during the first Trump administration, but later unlawfully returned to the U.S. — an act classified as a federal felony. DHS said he was released into the country by the Biden administration on March 19, 2022.
Monica Islam was found fatally shot in Lake County, Florida, in May 2025, according to investigators. Authorities have charged her brother-in-law with first-degree murder. (DOJ)
ICE’s detainer asks Florida authorities to hand Miah over to federal custody after his state criminal proceedings end, allowing immigration officials to pursue enforcement action following any sentence imposed in the murder case, DHS said.
Investigators said Monica Islam vanished on May 2, 2025, after leaving the Eustis convenience store where she worked with Miah, her brother-in-law. Hours later, authorities found her dead from a gunshot wound along a road in Mount Dora.
Prosecutors said evidence recovered from Miah’s vehicle included Monica Islam’s DNA, a bullet embedded in the passenger-side door and signs that the passenger window had been shattered.
Akbor Miah, who authorities say also used the alias Shahidul Islam, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his sister-in-law. ICE has lodged a detainer requesting custody after his state criminal proceedings conclude. (DOJ)
Officials claim Miah fled to New York after the killing before he was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service and extradited back to Florida, where he faces a first-degree murder charge.
“This illegal alien from Bangladesh has been charged with murder after allegedly shooting his own sister-in-law in Florida,” DHS acting assistant secretary Lauren Bis told INC News. “He then thought he could evade justice by fleeing to the sanctuary state of New York. Thanks to our law enforcement partners, this criminal illegal alien has been arrested and is off our streets. ICE has lodged a detainer so he can never be loose in our country again.”
INC News previously reported that a Lake County grand jury indicted Miah on a charge of premeditated first-degree murder and that prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
State Attorney Bill Gladson said investigators uncovered evidence that Miah conducted numerous suspicious internet searches on the morning of the killing.
State Attorney Bill Gladson of the Fifth Judicial Circuit provides an update on the Lake County, Florida, killing during a news conference. (WOFL)
Prosecutors also allege he rented a vehicle and drove to New York after the shooting before authorities tracked him down through a joint effort involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
