ERO Denver removes fugitive wanted for homicide in Mexico

DENVER — Officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations Denver removed a fugitive wanted in Mexico July 24.

Juan Dios Simental Flores, 31, is a citizen and national of Mexico wanted in Mexico for homicide. Simental was removed July 24 through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where he was released to the proper authorities.

"I want to commend our officers who have successfully apprehended a dangerous criminal wanted for homicide in Mexico,” said ERO Denver acting Field Office Director Arthur J. Wilson Jr. “This arrest and subsequent removal is a testament to their hard work and the strength of our international partnerships."

Simental has been removed from the United States on at least one prior occasion, most recently in April 2016.

In March of this year, ERO became aware that Simental was wanted by Mexican authorities in Durango, Mexico.

ERO Denver apprehended Simental June 24. He was reinstated and removed from the United States under a prior order of removal by an immigration judge.

ERO officers make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis in responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement professionals and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

In fiscal year 2023, ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 290,178 associated charges and convictions with an average of four per individual. These included 33,209 assaults; 4,390 sex and sexual assaults; 7,520 weapons offenses; 1,713 charges or convictions for homicide; and 1,655 kidnapping offenses.

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.

Members of the public can report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing ICE’s online tip form.

Learn more about ERO’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @ERODenver.