ERO San Francisco removes Mexican fugitive wanted for homicide

SAN FRANCISCO — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) San Francisco removed an unlawfully present foreign fugitive to his home country of Mexico April 24. He was wanted by Mexican law enforcement authorities for homicide and attempted homicide.

David Antonio Hernandez Ventura, 26, departed from McFarland and arrived at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, where he was handed over to authorities from Mexico.

“I am proud of the work ERO San Francisco officers do on a daily basis to keep the streets of our communities safe,” said ERO San Francisco Field Office Director Moises Becerra.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol agents encountered Hernandez when he attempted to enter the United States without being admitted by an immigration officer under the alias Ruben Sanchez-Ignacio. He was removed under the Title 42 authority March 30, April 1 and April 8, 2021.

Hernandez reentered the United States on an unknown date without being admitted by an immigration officer and was discovered living in Fresno Dec. 2, 2023, when the Fresno Police Department arrested him on local charges.

Officers with ERO arrested Hernandez Jan. 24 near his last known residence and transferred him to the Golden State Annex in McFarland to await immigration and removal proceedings. An immigration judge ordered him removed Feb. 8, the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed his appeal April 4, and officers carried out the judge’s removal order April 24.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR 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 (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.

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 crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROSanFrancisco.