ICE HSI, ERO arrest murder suspect in central Virginia
RICHMOND, Va. – An illegally present murder suspect was arrested Thursday morning at his residence in North Chesterfield, Virginia, by special agents and officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Demetrio Ignacio-Flores, a 38-year-old illegally present Mexican national, is wanted in Oaxaca, Mexico, for the 2010 murder of his wife. HSI Richmond received information indicating Ignacio-Flores was residing in the Richmond-area under an assumed identity. From there, HSI partnered with its ERO counterparts to locate and arrest him.
“The joint efforts of HSI special agents and ERO officers led to the arrest of a dangerous individual who had illegally sought safe haven in central Virginia,” said Raymond Villanueva, special agent in charge of HSI Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Border Patrol previously encountered Ignacio-Flores in April 2011 at or near the Laredo Port of Entry in Texas and granted him voluntary return to Mexico. He illegally reentered the U.S. at some point thereafter. ICE records indicate he has a DWI conviction from May 2014, along with two convictions for driving without a license from July and September 2014.
“This is the perfect example of why someone with low level convictions should be turned over to ICE. Even though Ignacio-Flores hadn’t been convicted of any high-level crimes in the U.S., he is wanted in his native country for murder,” said Lyle Boelens, acting field office director for ERO Washington, D.C.
Upon his arrest, ERO officers and HSI special agents issued Ignacio-Flores a notice to appear in immigration court. He is currently in ICE custody, pending immigration proceedings before an immigration judge with the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review.
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