ERO Baltimore arrests Salvadoran national convicted of sex trafficking charges in Maryland

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore apprehended a 49-year-old undocumented noncitizen who has been convicted of prostitution charges. Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Criminal Apprehensions Program arrested the unlawfully present Salvadoran national Dec. 18 near her residence in Silver Spring, Maryland.

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

U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) apprehended the Salvadoran national near Campo, California, Jan. 23, 2004, and granted her a voluntary return. That day, USBP returned her to Mexico.

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

USBP apprehended the Salvadoran noncitizen again Jan. 27, 2004, near Tecate, California, and granted her another voluntary return. That day, USBP returned the noncitizen to Mexico.

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

The Fairfax County Police Department arrested and charged the noncitizen with prostitution: keep/reside in bawdy place Nov. 18, 2016.

The Fairfax County General District Court in Fairfax, Virginia, convicted the Salvadoran national of prostitution: keep/reside in bawdy place Feb. 28, 2017. The court imposed a fine for an undisclosed amount.

On Nov. 30, 2022, the Montgomery County Police Department arrested and charged the unlawfully present noncitizen with sex traffic-force/fraud, sex trafficking-take cause, sex traffic-benefit financial, sex traffic-cons/aid/abet, prostitution-business, and prostitution-general.

The Circuit Court for Montgomery County in Rockville, Maryland, convicted the Salvadoran national of sex trafficking-take cause June 20, 2023. The court sentenced to her 8 years’ incarceration followed by 2 years of supervised probation. The court suspended all but 18 months of her incarceration. The remaining charges were dismissed.

Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Criminal Apprehensions Program arrested the unlawfully present noncitizen near her residence in Silver Spring, Maryland and served her a notice to appear before a Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge. The Salvadoran noncitizen will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of her removal proceedings.

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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) three operational directorates, Enforcement and Removal Operations (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.

Regardless of nationality, ICE makes custody determinations on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with U.S. law and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy, considering the circumstances of each case. ICE officers make decisions on associated enforcement actions and apply prosecutorial discretion in a responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement professionals and in a way that best protects the communities we serve.

ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that protects the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of our communities and the integrity of our immigration laws.

Entering the United States without authorization is a violation of federal law, and those who do so many be subject to administrative arrest, and in some cases, criminal prosecution.