ICE ERO Miami and Consulate of Mexico officials meet in Orlando to strengthen liaisons, services provided to Mexican nationals in Florida
From left to right: ERO Miami SDDO Richard Betancourt; ERO Miami AFOD Sean Stephens; ERO Miami AFOD Conrad Agagan; Consul Agustín Gutiérrez García, Consul of Legal Affairs, Consulate of Mexico; Alberto Martínez, Legal Affairs Department, Consulate of Mexico; ERO Miami AFOD Cardell Smith.
ORLANDO – Officials of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Miami sub-offices in Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville met with representatives from the Consulate of Mexico August 21, 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the agency’s commitment to strengthen its relationship and collaboration with the Mexican Consulate, particularly as it pertains to services and tools available to Mexican nationals under ICE custody in Northern and Central Florida.
During the meeting, assistant field office directors (AFODs) and supervisory detention and deportation officers (SDDOs) from ERO Miami sub-offices in Orlando, Tampa, and Jacksonville spoke with Consulate of Mexico officials about a variety of immigration and detention topics. They discussed ways to ensure lines of communication remain open and how to further improve current processes to better assist Mexican nationals under custody in ICE detention facilities throughout Florida.
“The ERO Miami-Orlando sub-office has a long-standing relationship with the local Mexican Consulate and this meeting helped strengthen that connection,” said AFOD Conrad Agagan. “Having an on-going liaison with the Mexican Consulate enhances our ability to accomplish our mission, while at the same time making our nation safer for everyone.”
Specific concerns discussed included questions the Mexican Consulate has received from ICE detainees held in Northern Florida ICE detention facilities and identifying potential solutions; Consulate access to Mexican nationals under ICE custody; and the availability of the Online Detainee Locator System as a tool available to the public to locate an ICE detainee.
The Consul in Charge of the Consulate of Mexico in Orlando, Felipe Ulises Cuéllar Sánchez, confirmed their commitment to working with the agency. “This was an important meeting to strengthen the friendship and collaboration with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Central Florida.”
ERO Miami’s mission is to identify, arrest, and remove aliens who present a danger to national security or are a risk to public safety, as well as those who enter the United States illegally or otherwise undermine the integrity of our immigration laws and our border control efforts. The ERO Miami-Orlando sub-office works with local, state, and federal law enforcement and government partners to maintain safety in our communities.
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