ERO Denver removes Mexican fugitive wanted for attempted murder
DENVER — Officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Denver removed a noncitizen fugitive wanted in Mexico Feb. 21. Elvis Alexis Molina Enriquez, 31, is wanted in Mexico for charges related to aggravated willful bodily harm, domestic violence and femicide.
Officials flew Molina Enriquez from Denver International Airport to the San Diego International Airport, where members of ERO San Diego’s International Liaison Unit removed him from the United States through the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Ysidro, California. Officials turned him over to Mexican authorities.
“This significant removal can only happen with the hard work and cooperation between ICE officers and our international law enforcement partners to ensure that criminals who flee their home country cannot hide in our communities with impunity,” said ERO Denver acting Field Office Director Ernesto Santacruz. “I applaud the efforts of our ERO officers here in Denver, the San Diego International Liaison Unit and our partners in Mexican law enforcement who conducted a smooth transfer without incident.”
Molina Enriquez entered the United States without being admitted or paroled by an immigration official on an unknown date and at an unknown location. Officials apprehended him Oct. 18 pursuant to a targeted enforcement operation in Santa Maria, California. On the same date, ERO Los Angeles served Molina Enriquez with a Notice to Appear. He was then transferred to Aurora for his immigration proceedings.
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. This office 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's (ICE). 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 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.
ERO, a directorate of ICE, upholds U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders. ERO operations target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, who have violated our nation's immigration laws, including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad at-large in the U.S. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, detention, bond management, supervised release, transportation, and removal. Additionally, ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 150 countries worldwide.
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 Twitter @ERODenver.
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