ERO St. Paul removes foreign fugitive wanted in Mexico for attempted homicide

ST. PAUL, Minn. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) St. Paul removed an unlawfully present noncitizen foreign fugitive wanted in Mexico for attempted homicide July 27.

ERO officers escorted Jose Ramon Barcenas Diaz, 34, from Omaha, Nebraska, to a port of entry where he was removed from the United States and transferred to Mexican authorities.

On Nov. 30, 2018, ERO St. Paul encountered Barcenas while he was in custody at the Douglas County Jail in Omaha pending charges for domestic assault and child abuse. ERO lodged an immigration detainer against him.

On Jan. 3, 2019, the County Court of Douglas County in Omaha convicted Barcenas of assault and battery and sentenced him to 30 days in jail. On March 22, 2019, the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska convicted him of illegal reentry and sentenced him to 53 days with time served and one year of supervised release. On the same date, the U.S. Marshals Service transferred Barcenas to ERO St. Paul’s custody at the Hall County Department of Corrections in Grand Island, Nebraska, for removal proceedings.

On April 10, 2019, ERO St. Paul removed Barcenas to Mexico.

On Jan. 8, 2020, U.S. Border Patrol encountered Barcenas near Del Rio, Texas. On Jan. 9, 2020, officials transferred Barcenas to the U.S. Marshals Service’s custody for criminal prosecution for illegal reentry into the United States.

On Sept. 28, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas convicted Barcenas of illegal reentry into the United States and sentenced him to 15 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release. On Oct. 6, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas convicted him of violating his 2019 order for supervised release and sentenced him to eight months’ imprisonment to run concurrently with his existing 15-month sentence. On Oct. 1, 2021, the Bureau of Prisons released Barcenas.

On June 28, 2023, the ERO St. Paul Fugitive Operations Team arrested Barcenas in Omaha to remove him to Mexico. On July 7, 2023, ERO St. Paul was notified of an outstanding warrant against him, which was issued in Mexico for attempted homicide.

ICE officers make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis in a professional and responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement officials and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland.

In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.

The ERO St. Paul field office oversees suboffices in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.

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

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on Twitter @EROSaintPaul.