ICE removes Honduran national wanted for murder
PHOENIX — Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), in Phoenix, removed a three-time previously deported criminal alien who is wanted for homicide in Honduras, Oct. 9. The Honduran national was removed via an ICE Air Operations (IAO) charter flight and was transferred to the custody of Honduran law enforcement authorities on an outstanding warrant.
Jose Elias Jovel-Castro, 38, is a citizen of Honduras who has repeatedly violated the nation’s immigration laws. Jovel-Castro has a lengthy criminal history that includes convictions for driving under the influence, assault-domestic violence, and multiple federal convictions, dating back to 2007, related to false documents and illegal reentry.
On July 31, 2019, Honduran law enforcement authorities, out of La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras, issued an arrest warrant for Jovel-Castro for an alleged homicide.
“This dangerous individual has repeatedly violated our nation’s immigration laws with complete disregard and he fled from his native country to evade justice,” said interim ERO Field Office Director in Phoenix, Corey Price. “My officers will continue to coordinate with international law enforcement to ensure that those who are wanted in their home country are removed swiftly, within the confines of the immigration law, and are turned over to the respective foreign authorities”.
Record checks revealed that Jovel-Castro most recently came into ERO custody in Phoenix on June 30, at the conclusion of a federal sentence on a felony reentry conviction. As a previously deported criminal alien, his previous removal order was reinstated paving the way for his fourth removal.
ICE is focused on removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. In FY 2019, ERO Phoenix removed 18,665 aliens with criminal convictions and another 2,330 with pending criminal charges.
Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.
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