ERO Philadelphia removes foreign fugitive wanted to complete incarceration in Colombia

PHILADELPHIA — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia removed Miguel Angel Hernandez Moreno, a citizen of Colombia with a final order of removal, to Colombia on Feb. 13. Hernandez is a foreign fugitive wanted by law enforcement authorities in Colombia to complete his incarceration for conviction on a simple homicide with aggravating factors.

“Time and again we see fugitives fleeing from justice in their home countries and illegally crossing into the U.S.,” said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley. “The officers of ERO Philadelphia work tirelessly to apprehend and remove these wanted criminals who pose a threat to the American public.”

In November 2011, Hernandez was convicted of homicide in Colombia and sentenced to over 22 years of incarceration. In September of 2017, authorities in Colombia issued an arrest warrant for him after he failed to return to prison from a 72-hour furlough. He entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without admission or parole by an immigration official.

The Jersey City Police (JCP), Jersey City, New Jersey issued an arrest warrant for Hernandez for making terroristic threats and simple assault on Dec. 18, 2023. These charges remain pending.

On Dec. 27, 2023, ERO Newark apprehended Hernandez again in Queens, New York, during a targeted enforcement action and detained him at the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. On the same date, ERO Newark served him with a notice to appear, charging him with inadmissibility pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.

On Dec. 29, 2023, ERO Newark transferred Hernandez to ERO Philadelphia at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg.

On Jan. 10, 2024, an immigration judge in Elizabeth, New Jersey, ordered Hernandez removed from the United States to Colombia. He waived his right to appeal the judge’s decision.

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. 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 @EROPhiladelphia.