ERO San Francisco highlights egregious noncitizen arrests, removals during FY 2022

SAN FRANCISCO – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers continue their critical mission to remove criminal noncitizens who pose a threat to community safety. In order to affect its public safety mission, ICE uses a variety of methods to apprehend noncitizens whose criminal convictions require removal in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

ICE works with correctional facilities to identify probable, removable noncitizens in the interest of public safety and lodges immigration detainers on individuals so ICE officers can take custody of that person in a safe and secure setting without further endangering the public.

Among the most egregious removable noncitizens arrested in the San Francisco area of responsibility:

• A 28-year-old Mexican national convicted in Orange County of first-degree robbery and carjacking arrested by ERO after serving nearly four years of an eight-year sentence in the High Desert State Prison in Susanville.
• A 46-year-old Mexican national convicted in San Diego County of attempted murder, corporal injury to spouse, making criminal threats, and attempt to dissuade a witness arrested by ERO after serving 16 years in the California City Correctional Facility. The extensive criminal history spans nearly 30 years and includes two previous removals in 1998 and 1999.
• A 47-year-old Albanian national arrested by ERO at the Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown, California after serving 23 years for the conviction of second-degree robbery with a gun enhancement, great bodily injury, or death in Los Angeles County. The noncitizen was ordered removed to Albania.
• A 37-year-old Mexican national apprehended by ERO officers after re-entering the country illegally on multiple occasions. The noncitizen was convicted in Tulare County of eight counts of lewd acts upon a child under 10.
• A 33-year-old Mexican national convicted in Santa Clara County of shooting at an occupied vehicle, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, and carrying a loaded firearm. The noncitizen was previously convicted in Santa Clara County for DUI, hit and run with property damage, and driving without a license.
• A 39-year-old Congolese national convicted in San Diego County for forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, and rape by foreign object. The noncitizen was arrested by ERO at a California State Prison in Sacramento, California after serving nearly nine years.
• A 47-year-old El Salvadoran national arrested by ERO officers at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad after being convicted in Los Angeles County for conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted kidnapping for robbery, robbery, and assault with a firearm. The noncitizen was sentenced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.

Once a noncitizen has a final order of removal, ERO coordinates the removal of the noncitizen back to their country of origin. Regardless of nationality, ICE makes custody determinations on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with U.S. law and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy.

Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

Learn more about the immigration enforcement efforts of the ERO San Francisco Field Office on Twitter @EROSanFrancisco.