ICE deports Guatemalan man wanted for attempted murder
BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Guatemalan man wanted for attempted murder by law enforcement authorities in his native country was turned over to officials there Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
According to Guatemalan authorities, Pedro Lopez-Raymundo, 27, is accused of attempted murder.
Lopez-Raymundo was originally arrested by U.S. Border Patrol in November at the Southwest border, where he was served with an expedited removal order before being transferred to ICE custody. He was repatriated on board a flight chartered by ICE Air Operations originating in Batavia, New York, where he had been detained at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility shortly after his arrest. Upon arrival in Guatemala City, Lopez-Raymundo was transferred to the custody of Guatemalan authorities.
"Alleged foreign criminals attempting to avoid justice will not find safe haven in the United States," said Michael Phillips, field office director of ERO Buffalo. "One of ERO’s highest priority is to return foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States to their home countries to answer to the crimes for which they stand accused.”
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States. Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.
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