ICE El Paso removes 2 Mexican fugitives wanted on separate charges of aggravated homicide, aggravated assault
EL PASO, Texas — Two Mexican nationals wanted for separate felony crimes in their home country were removed Monday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Jaime Flores-Rosales, 43, and Raul Silverio-Contreras, 24, were turned over to Mexican authorities at the top of the Stanton International Bridge. Flores-Rosales is wanted for aggravated homicide in Sonora, Mexico, for the November 2010 murder of Candido Tapia Rios. Silverio-Contreras is wanted for aggravated assault in Puebla, Mexico.
In November 2010, Flores-Rosales illegally entered the United States near El Paso. On May 11, 2015, ERO Denver fugitive operations agents arrested Flores at a grocery store in Aurora, Colorado, and processed him into the Denver Contract Detention Facility. On July 24, an immigration judge granted Flores a voluntary departure to Mexico. Mexico’s attorney general requested ERO assistance July 29 in turning Flores-Rosales over to Mexican authorities at the time of his removal based on a December 2010 arrest warrant for Flores for aggravated homicide.
Silverio-Contreras illegally entered the United States March 2, 2008 near Naco, Arizona. The same day, agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol arrested him and processed him as a voluntary return to Mexico.
The next day, Silverio-Contreras illegally entered the United States again. ERO Philadelphia officers encountered Silverio-Contreras at the Montgomery County Jail in Eagleville, Pennsylvania, after he was arrested Feb. 10, 2013 for aggravated assault. In March 2013, he was enrolled in ICE’s Alternatives to Detention Program (ATD) and released from ICE custody. Eight months later he failed to report in as required. On Jan. 30, 2014, a federal immigration judge ordered Silverio-Contreras removed to Mexico.
On July 13, 2014, Silverio-Contreras was encountered by ERO after his arrest in Braunfels, Texas, for a traffic offense. The next day, ERO San Antonio officers removed him to Mexico through Laredo, Texas. Three months later, Silverio-Contreras again illegally entered the United States near Naco, Arizona. Border Patrol agents arrested him Nov. 1, 2014, and presented his case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution. He was convicted of illegal entry and sentenced to 75 days in prison. On Jan. 14, 2015, ERO San Diego officers removed him to Mexico through Calexico, California.
On April 4, 2015, for the fourth time, Silverio-Contreras illegally entered the United States near Del Rio, Texas. The next day, Border Patrol agents presented his case to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecution. On April 15, he was convicted for illegal entry and sentenced to 120 days.
The attorney general in Puebla, Mexico, requested ERO assistance Nov. 1, 2014 in turning Silverio-Contreras over to Mexican authorities at the time of his removal based on an outstanding warrant for aggravated assault.
“ICE continues to work closely with its Mexican law enforcement partners to identify and deport individuals who try to elude justice in their home country by seeking safe haven in the United States," said Adrian P. Macias, field office director for ERO El Paso. "Criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat to our community are an ICE priority.”
In fiscal year 2014, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. In addition to convicted criminals, the agency's enforcement priorities include those apprehended while attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, illegal re-entrants – individuals who returned to the United States after being previously removed by ICE – and immigration fugitives. In fiscal year 2014, 98 percent of ICE removals met these priorities.
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