ICE San Antonio removes Mexican fugitive wanted for 2002 homicide
SAN ANTONIO — A Mexican man, who is wanted in his home country for homicide, was deported Wednesday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in San Antonio.
Roberto Clemente Martinez-Guerrero, 44, is accused of a 2002 homicide that occurred in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Martinez-Guerrero was escorted by ICE officers to the U.S.-Mexico border at Laredo, Texas, and transferred to Mexican authorities Jan. 18.
On July 13, 2016, Mexico’s Procuraduria General de la Republica notified ERO San Antonio that Martinez-Guerrero is the subject of an active arrest warrant issued by the government of Mexico for homicide.
“Removing criminal foreign fugitives from the United States is a top ICE priority,” said Daniel Bible, field office director of ERO San Antonio. “The cooperation between the governments of the United States and Mexico resulted in this foreign fugitive being turned over to this native country where he will stand trial for the alleged homicide.”
Martinez-Guerrero was first arrested by agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol near Eagle Pass, Texas Oct. 22, 2003. He was granted voluntary return to Mexico that same day. On Oct. 6, 2015, Border Patrol agents arrested Martinez-Guerrero near Del Rio, Texas. He was convicted of illegal entry and was sentenced to 10 days in jail. After serving his sentence, he was removed to Mexico Oct. 15, 2015. On May 21, 2016, Martinez-Guerrero again illegally re-entered the United States near Sanderson, Texas, where he was arrested by Border Patrol. He was charged and convicted of re-entering the United States after being deported; a federal judge with the Western District of Texas sentenced him to serve 45 days in prison.
On July 5, 2016, the Travis County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office took custody of Martinez-Guerrero after authorities in Austin, Texas, arrested him based on his outstanding arrest warrant for a driving while intoxicated charge from Sept. 14, 2012. He was convicted and sentenced to serve 75 days in jail. On July 11, 2016, Martinez-Guerrero was transferred to ICE custody and taken to the South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall, Texas, where he remained until his removal.
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States who were 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 United States. 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.
ERO coordinates the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. In 2015 alone, ERO removed 235,413 individuals from the United States. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes its resources based on those who pose the biggest threat to national security, border security and public safety. ICE’s civil enforcement efforts are based on priorities set by the Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2014.
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