News Releases and Statements

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) announced Wednesday the fiscal year (FY) 2020 immigration statistics for the Dallas Field Office. ERO Dallas is responsible for overseeing an area of responsibility (AOR) that includes the state of Oklahoma and 128 counties in North Texas.

Jesse Mendiola Blas, a former mayor of Yona, Guam, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 37 months in prison for Extortion Under Color of Official Right.

Steve Chen, 63, a.k.a. “Li Chen” and “Boss,” of Bradbury, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, who found that Chen’s “litany of lies” promoted a scam of “epic proportions.” Chen pleaded guilty in June 2020 to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of tax evasion.

Arturo Granados-Aranda, 31, was convicted April 12, 2007, by the Marion County Circuit Court, Oregon, of sexual abuse and sentenced to five years’ probation. Granados-Aranda came to the attention of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers as a result of his 2007 conviction.

On Nov. 7, 1996, the District Court of Salem, Oregon, convicted Abel Rojas-Hernandez, aka Juan Carlos Gonzalez-Cordova, aka Juan Manuel Perez, 57, for attempted murder and sentenced him to 25 years confinement. Rojas-Hernandez also has previous convictions for theft and probation violations.

Eulalio Alvarez-Lizama, 36, is a known or suspected member of the transnational criminal street organization known as Mara Salvatrucha or “MS-13”. Alvarez illegally entered the U.S. on an unknown date and was first encountered by ERO on Feb. 12, 2012, at the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office in Charlotte after his arrest for operating a vehicle without a license.

The IPR Center’s partnership with IACC provides a framework to enhance investigative efforts into intellectual property crime through joint events, law enforcement training, community outreach and information sharing.

ICE HSI distributed $164,577.44 in funds forfeited from bulk cash seized to the Maverick County Sheriff’s Department January 12, as part of a federal asset sharing program.

Mike Barry Brior, 43, of Riverside, who was an 18-year employee of the school district, where he worked for a time directly with children as a teacher’s assistant, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu.

Herbert Nixon Flores, a 46-year-old criminal alien with an extensive criminal history, is the prime suspect in the murder of 35-year-old Karen Ruiz in the Pacoima area, Jan. 6. Flores shot and killed himself according to law enforcement officials days later. Flores, a repeat immigration offender, had been sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers for removal, but a detainer issued to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) last Fall was not honored due to California’s dangerous sanctuary policy.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) joins the nation in honoring National Human Trafficking Awareness Month to bring attention to the international crime and the work of law enforcement to deter human trafficking, bring traffickers to justice and to assist victims. Human trafficking centers on exploitation and is considered a form of modern slavery.

Howard D. Farley, Jr., 72, of Weirsdale and Duc Hanh Thi Vu, 56, of Weirsdale, were indicted for passport fraud. Farley was also charged with aggravated identity theft, Social Security fraud, possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon and operating as a pilot without a legitimate airman’s certificate.

Marlon Ariel Mendez Maldonado, a 28-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, was flown from Alexandria, Louisiana, to the Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador, on a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit. Upon arrival, he was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC).

Lawrence Legault, 60, was taken into custody pursuant to a search warrant by law enforcement after information was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that a phone number associated with Legault was used in the uploading of illicit child images to a cloud storage account.

Maksims Klopovs admitted he was to be paid for picking up a large load of electronics originally set for delivery to a college in Corpus Christi.

From Nov. 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020, ERO Houston arrested nine criminal aliens in the greater Houston area after securing criminal arrest warrants for illegal reentry.

The ICE National Fugitive Operations Program, in coordination with the ICE Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, and the ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, worked with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Newark, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco and Salt Lake City field offices to arrest these fugitives.

Dalvis Hernandez-Ixcoy, 30, a native of Guatemala, was removed by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) via an ICE Air Operations charter flight without incident from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Guatemala City, Guatemala. Once in Guatemala, ERO officers turned him over to law enforcement authorities.

Marvin Alexander Figueroa-Mazariego, 40, was flown on a charter flight coordinated by ICE Air Operations from Alexandria, Louisiana, to the El Salvador International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador. Upon arrival, he was turned over to Salvadoran authorities.

On Oct. 15, 2019, the Sixth District Court in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, issued an arrest warrant against Aviles-Yocupicio. The warrant alleges he carried firearms and firearm cartridges designated for the exclusive use of the Mexican military.

On Jan. 9, 1996, Adrian Andrade-Mora, 41, was convicted of murder and assault in the first degree. He was sentenced to 250 months and 93 months confinement, to be served consecutively.

On Oct. 4, 2018, Gerardo Muniz-Vazquez, 28, was convicted in the Umatilla County Circuit Court for kidnapping and assault and sentenced to 34 months confinement.

On May 5, 2019, Ricardo Arturo Santiago-Silva, 46, was convicted in Skagit County, Washington, of child molestation and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. He was sentenced to 31 months confinement and transferred to the Washington Corrections Center in Sheldon.

ICE today announced an extension of the flexibilities in rules related to Form I-9 compliance that was granted earlier this year. Due to the continued precautions related to COVID-19, DHS will extend this policy until Jan. 31, 2021.

ICE announced Wednesday the agency’s fiscal year 2020 annual report numbers, highlighting trends that underscore the administration’s focus on enforcing immigration laws and leading investigations that threaten or exploit the customs and immigration laws of the United States.