ERO Salt Lake City arrests, removes citizen of South Korea wanted for embezzlement

LAS VEGAS — Officers with Enforcement and Removal Operations Salt Lake City removed a fugitive wanted in South Korea July 31.

Intae Yang, 46, is a citizen of South Korea wanted in his home country for embezzlement. Yang was admitted into the United States through Los Angeles, California, and failed to depart under the terms of his visa. Officers with ERO Salt Lake City arrested Yang May 6 and transported him to Nevada Southern Detention Center in Pahrump to await removal. He was then transferred from Las Vegas to Incheon, South Korea, July 31, where he was handed over to authorities without incident.

“Our officers in Las Vegas are uniquely skilled to navigate any challenges and will find anyone seeking to evade law enforcement or accountability in their country of citizenship,” said ERO Salt Lake City Field Office Director Michael Bernacke.

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 Executive Office for Immigration Review 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 @EROSaltLakeCity.