ERO Baltimore apprehends previously removed Honduran noncitizen convicted of methamphetamine distribution

BALTIMORE — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore arrested an undocumented noncitizen who was previously removed from the United States after a conviction for distribution of methamphetamine. Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team apprehended the 32-year-old Honduran national Sept. 19 outside his residence in Baltimore.

The undocumented noncitizen unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without being inspected, admitted or paroled by an immigration official.

The Grand Island Police Department in Nebraska arrested the Honduran national on Dec. 19, 2009, and charged him for the offenses of obstructing a peace officer, minor in possession of liquor, and parent allowing a minor to obtain liquor.

The next day, ERO Chicago’s Grand Island suboffice encountered the noncitizen at the Hall County Department of Corrections in Grand Island and lodged an immigration detainer against him.

The Hall County Department of Corrections honored ERO’s detainer on Dec. 29, 2009, and transferred the noncitizen into ERO custody. The Grand Island suboffice served the Honduran national with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge and granted him a $15,000 bond.

The DOJ immigration judge in Omaha, Nebraska, redetermined the noncitizen’s custody and granted a $6,000 bond on Jan. 11, 2010.

The Honduran national bonded out of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on Jan. 26, 2010.

On April 2, 2010, Grand Island’s Hall County Court convicted the noncitizen of obstructing a peace officer and sentenced him to 10 days in jail. The court dismissed all remaining charges.

Grand Island police arrested the undocumented noncitizen again on April 6, 2011, and charged him with the offenses of amphetamine possession, flight to avoid prosecution/confinement, driving without a license, three counts of failure to appear/warrant and two counts of amphetamine possession with intent.

The same day, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Chicago’s Grand Island Regional Agent in Charge office arrested and charged the noncitizen with distribution of methamphetamine and transferred him to the U.S. Marshals Service. On the same date, a DOJ immigration judge in Omaha administratively closed the noncitizen’s case due to his incarceration.

The U.S. District Court of Nebraska convicted the Honduran national of distribution of methamphetamine Aug. 15, 2012, and sentenced him to 151 months of incarceration.

On Sept. 22, 2015, however, the court ordered a reduction his sentenced reduced to 66 months of incarceration followed by 36 months of supervised release.

The U.S. Marshals Service transferred custody of the Honduran national to the ERO Philadelphia’s Charleston suboffice on Dec. 4, 2015. Authorities served him a notice of intent to issue a final administrative removal order.

ERO Philadelphia’s Charleston suboffice removed the undocumented noncitizen from the United States to Honduras on April 22, 2016.

The undocumented noncitizen unlawfully reentered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without being inspected, admitted or paroled by an immigration official.

ERO Baltimore officers encountered the Honduran national after the Maryland Transportation Authority in Queen Anne’s County pulled him over on a traffic stop on June 28, 2023. Officials notified ERO Baltimore of the encounter and released the noncitizen prior to any ICE action.

Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore arrested the noncitizen at his residence in Baltimore.

The Honduran national will remain in ERO custody pending his removal from the United States.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from DHS and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

As one of ICE’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 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.