ICE removes former Chinese official wanted for corruption
NEW YORK — A Chinese national wanted for embezzlement charges was removed Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers.
Xiuzhu Yang, 70, was escorted by ERO officers to Beijing, China where she was turned over to Chinese authorities.
Yang, a former Chinese official who fled China in 2003, was considered the country’s most wanted economic fugitive. She entered ICE custody in June 2014 after an Interpol notice was issued for her to face embezzlement charges in China. ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York office received a request from HSI Beijing to locate and arrest Yang for having entered the United States under the Visa Waiver Program using a fraudulently obtained Netherlands passport. Prior to her removal, Yang had remained in ICE custody while her case was adjudicated before the immigration court.
The return of these fugitives to face criminal charges in China is the result of ongoing cooperation between U.S. law enforcement and China, said, Marlen Pineiro, Assistant Director for Removals in Washington, D.C., “Violent criminals who believe they can evade justice by fleeing to the U.S., should be on notice--they will find no refuge here.”
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,789 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.
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