ICE San Antonio deports Mexican man wanted for aggravated sexual assault

SAN ANTONIO — A Mexican man, who is wanted in his home country for aggravated sexual assault, was deported Friday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Emilio Omar Briones-Aparicio, 32, was escorted to the Lincoln Juarez Port in Laredo, Texas, and turned over to Mexico's Procuraduría General de la República (PGR).

"Removing foreign fugitives from the United States is an ICE priority," said Enrique M. Lucero, field office director of ERO San Antonio. "The close cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement officials is pivotal in keeping both countries safe, and ensuring that those accused are brought to trial for their alleged crimes."

On Nov. 4, 2013, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested Briones-Aparicio in Brownsville, Texas. Briones-Aparicio was ultimately transferred to ICE custody and detained at South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall, Texas.

According to the office of the Attorney General of Mexico, on April 19, 2006, authorities in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico issued an arrest warrant for Briones-Aparicio. He is wanted for aggravated sexual assault of a male.

This deportation is part of a bi-national agreement between ICE and Mexico's attorney general's office.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 720 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 ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.

ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities and threaten national security. ERO also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system, including immigration fugitives, or criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.