ERO arrests Honduran foreign fugitive

NEW ORLEANS - ERO New Orleans arrested a Honduran foreign fugitive wanted for murder in his home country, in Bossier City, Louisiana, on Feb. 27.

At an unknown date and location, the Honduran citizen entered the United States without inspection, admission or parole by an immigration official. On Dec. 21, 2013, and on Oct. 17, 2016, the individual was arrested in Bossier City for local offenses.

On July 4, 2018, the United States Border Patrol (USBP) arrested the individual near Laredo, Texas. USBP issued him a notice and order of expedited removal, Form I-860 pursuant to Section 235(b)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and presented him for prosecution for violation of illegal entry.

On July 9, 2018, a U.S. magistrate for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, convicted the individual of illegal entry and sentenced him to six days of imprisonment. He was removed from the United States by ERO Harlingen on July 20, 2018.

On August 10, 2018, Juzgado de Letras de la Seccion Judicial de Choluteca, Honduras, issued an arrest warrant, charging the Honduran citizen with murder.

On an unknown date, the individual re-entered the United States at an unknown location without being admitted or paroled by an immigration officer.

On Feb. 25, 2024, the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office (BPSO), Bossier City, Louisiana, arrested the noncitizen for driving while intoxicated, being an unlicensed driver and expired vehicle registration. The next day, the ERO New Orleans Criminal Apprehension Program identified the individual as a previously removed noncitizen wanted for murder in Honduras.

The unlawfully present Honduran national will remain in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) custody pending an upcoming hearing before an immigration judge with the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. ERO New Orleans will seek his removal from the United States.

In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations and the repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO New Orleans’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ERONewOrleans.