ERO St. Paul removes foreign fugitive wanted in Mexico for drug trafficking

ST. PAUL, Minn. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) St. Paul removed an unlawfully present foreign fugitive wanted in Mexico for drug trafficking April 6.

Officials flew Benito Sanchez-Jimenez, 41, from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Alexandria International Airport in Louisiana April 5 on a flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit. On the same date, officials flew Sanchez-Jimenez from Alexandria International Airport to Arizona’s Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. On April 6, officials escorted Sanchez-Jimenez via ground transportation to the port of entry in Nogales, Arizona, where he was transferred to Mexican authorities.

Sanchez-Jimenez unlawfully entered the U.S. without inspection July 26, 2001, near San Angelo, Texas. He again unlawfully entered the U.S. without inspection June 7, 2007, near Fabens, Texas. Sanchez-Jimenez legally entered the United States in 2021 but failed to comply with the terms of his admission.

ERO St. Paul encountered Sanchez-Jimenez Sept. 21, 2022, at the Cass County Jail in Fargo, North Dakota, after police arrested him for theft of a motor vehicle. ERO St. Paul lodged an immigration detainer for Sanchez-Jimenez.

On Oct. 4, 2022, Cass County Jail released him to ERO St. Paul custody for immigration proceedings. ERO St. Paul transferred Sanchez-Jimenez to the Kandiyohi County Jail in Wilmar, Minnesota, Oct. 6, 2022, to continue immigration proceedings. On Nov. 2, 2022, ERO St. Paul verified Sanchez-Jimenez was wanted in Mexico for drug trafficking. On Jan. 26, 2023, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review issued a final order of removal for Sanchez-Jimenez.

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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) three operational directorates, Enforcement and Removal Operations (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/or 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.