ICE detainer filed against Honduran national accused of raping a child

Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) have lodged a detainer with Philadelphia authorities, requesting that a Honduran national arrested July 26 on child rape allegations be turned over to the agency following full adjudication of the local charges.

Ramon Aguirre-Ochoa, 45, is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, indecent assault on person less than 13, indecent exposure, and simple assault. He is currently being held at Curran Frommhold Correctional Facility on a $500,000 bail.

ICE was alerted about Aguirre-Ochoa’s most recent arrest through the Priority Enforcement Program after his fingerprints were matched against a set currently in the database. According to Department of Homeland (DHS) security databases, Aguirre-Ochoa was previously deported from the United States in May 2009, before illegally re-entering at a later date.  

As a prior deportee, Aguirre-Ochoa was slated to have his removal order reinstated and be removed in 2015 after local criminal charges stemming from March 2014, against him were dismissed. At that time, Aguirre-Ochoa was released from local custody when Philadelphia authorities failed to honor an ICE detainer. He remained at large until his most recent arrest. ICE has filed another detainer with Philadelphia authorities, requesting he be safely transferred to ICE custody after the current local charges are resolved, to include any potential convictions and subsequent prison term.  

ICE is committed to focusing on smart, effective immigration enforcement. With the implementation of the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) more than a year ago, many law enforcement agencies that had previous declined to cooperate with ICE, including some large jurisdictions, are now once again working with the agency. Through PEP, DHS continues to make significant strides in building partnerships with local law enforcement and community leaders to ensure a common-sense approach that focuses enforcement resources on convicted criminals and individuals who threaten public safety or national security.

In fiscal 2015, ICE removed or returned 235,413 individuals. Of this total, 165,935 were apprehended while, or shortly after, attempting to illegally enter the United States. The remaining 69,478 were apprehended in the interior of the United States, and the vast majority were convicted criminals who fell within ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities.

98 percent of ICE's fiscal 2015 removals and returns fell into one or more of ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities, with 86 percent falling in Priority 1 and 8 percent in Priority 2. In addition, ICE's interior enforcement activities led to an increase in the percentage of interior removals that were convicted criminals, growing from 82 percent in fiscal 2013 to 91 percent in 2015.