San Antonio ERO office deports man wanted for homicide in El Salvador

SAN ANTONIO — An El Salvador man, wanted for homicide in his home country, was deported and turned over to El Salvador officials Thursday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Jose Salvador Lopez-Guardado, 32, was deported via U.S. government charter flight Feb. 28. An Interpol arrest warrant was issued for Lopez-Guardado Sept. 24, 2012 in connection with the death of an El Salvadorian national.

Lopez-Guardado was encountered March 17, 2012 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Patrol agents near Penitas, Texas. He was turned over to ERO and housed at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Port Isabel, Texas, where he remained in custody until his removal.

While in custody, Lopez-Guardado appeared before an immigration judge to request to remain in the United States. The federal immigration judge issued him an order of removal Oct. 3. The Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed his appeal.

"This removal is the positive result of ICE's collaboration with its DHS and international counterparts who work together every day," said Enrique M. Lucero, field office director for ERO San Antonio. “This case highlights the importance of knowing who enters our country to ensure they are not potential threats to public safety."

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 566 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's Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States. ERO's San Antonio field office has removed seven such foreign fugitives so far in fiscal year 2013.