ICE removes convicted rapist from US to Mexico
PORTLAND, Ore. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers removed a convicted rapist and public safety threat, with multiple sexual assault convictions in Oregon, from the United States to Mexico, Tuesday.
Juan Cortez-Magdaleno, 53, is a Mexican citizen who was granted legal status in the United States in 1991. On Nov. 10, 2004, Cortez-Magdaleno, came to the attention of ERO officers following convictions for two counts of rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree and sexual abuse in the first degree, for which he was sentenced to 405 months in prison. ERO officers lodged an immigration detainer with the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) the same day.
ICE lodges immigration detainers on individuals, like Cortez-Magdaleno, who have been arrested on local criminal charges and who are suspected of being removable, so that ICE can take custody of that person when he or she is released from local custody.
“The immigration detainer allows ICE to take custody of individuals who are deemed public safety threats, like Cortez-Magdaleno, versus releasing them to the streets where they could potentially prey on additional children, said ICE’s acting Seattle Field Office Director Michael Melendez.”
On March 1, 2021, the Oregon DOC transferred Cortez-Magdaleno to ICE custody and on March 31, an immigration judge ordered Cortez-Magdaleno removed to Mexico.
On April 6, Cortez-Magdaleno was removed from the United States via an ICE Air Operations charter flight and transferred to the custody of Mexican authorities.
ICE is now implementing the interim civil immigration enforcement priorities directed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to focus its limited resources on threats to national security, border security and public safety. ICE continues to carry out its duty to enforce the laws of the United States in accordance with the Department’s national security and public safety mission.
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