ERO New Orleans removes Colombian extradited to US for narcotics offenses

NEW ORLEANS — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New Orleans removed a 55-year-old unlawfully present Colombian national to his home country on May 4.

Herman Medina-Diaz was flown from Alexandria, Louisiana, on a charter flight coordinated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Air Operations Unit to the El Dorado International Airport in Bogota, Colombia.

Medina-Diaz was extradited into the United States on June 22, 2016, to stand trial in the Southern District of Florida for federal narcotics offenses. On Nov. 15 that same year, Medina-Diaz was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The court sentenced Medina to 15 years in federal prison.

On January 19, 2023, ERO New Orleans took Medina-Diaz into ICE custody upon completion of his criminal sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Yazoo City, Mississippi. ERO New Orleans detained Medina based on his final order of expedited removal and previous criminal conviction. On October 17, 2022, a record check identified Medina as a possible transnational organized crime actor.

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 (TDY) assignments along the border.

For more news and information on how the ERO New Orleans field office carries out its immigration enforcement mission in Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama, follow us on Twitter @ERONewOrleans.