News Releases and Statements

During the 12-day enforcement action, ERO officers apprehended 64 aliens with criminal convictions. The remaining 37 fall under the agency’s enforcement priorities as recent immigration violators or important federal interest cases. Those arrested had criminal histories with past convictions for drug trafficking, DUI, weapons violations, child sex offenses, identity theft, and other serious criminal offenses. Two of those taken into custody now face federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Elmer Tinoco-Eutimio, 22, was turned over to Mexican authorities Aug. 31 at the Lincoln-Juarez Bridge in Laredo.  Mexico’s Procuraduria General de la Republic (PGR) issued a warrant for his arrest for homicide on Dec. 2, 2015. According to PGR, on Feb. 11, 2015, Tinoco-Eutimio broke into a home in Luvianos, Mexico, where he allegedly used a hammer to murder an elderly woman.

The men have previous convictions for crimes including DUI, aggravated assault, weapons offenses and narcotics manufacturing.

Melvin Eduardo Ramos, 34, is wanted in his home country for aggravated murder.

During the five-day enforcement action, ERO officers apprehended aliens with criminal convictions, in addition to others who fall under the agency’s enforcement priorities. Those arrested had criminal histories with past convictions for rape, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and other serious criminal offenses.

Lubomir Koscak, 30, wanted by Slovakian authorities for robbery, was taken into ICE custody on Jun. 20 as part of operation Project Red II pursuant to an Interpol notice.  Koscak violated the terms of his non-immigrant Visa Waiver admission to the United States by overstaying his admission period and was consequently issued an administrative removal order.

A citizen and national of El Salvador was removed from the United States on Aug. 12, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).  She is charged in El Salvador for being a member of the transnational criminal gang, MS-13.  

Luis Raul Quiroz-Gongora, aka “El Zorro,” 29, was transferred by ICE ERO officers to the custody of representatives from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office. An arrest warrant issued in November 2013 by a judge in Sonora, Mexico, charges Quiroz with murder. 

One of the murder suspects, Francisco Inestroza-Martinez, 35, is a former Honduran police officer wanted in his native country on a homicide related charge. Inestroza was repatriated to Honduras on board a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s IAO. The second fugitive repatriated Wednesday, Jesus Balderama-Vega, 55, is the subject of a criminal warrant issued in 2006 by authorities in the Mexican state of Sinaloa charging him with the shooting death of a 55-year-old man that occurred the year before.

Ramon Aguirre-Ochoa, 45, is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, indecent assault on person less than 13, indecent exposure, and simple assault. He is currently being held at Curran Frommhold Correctional Facility on a $500,000 bail.

On July 25, deportation officers conducting a targeted law enforcement action in and around Chesapeake, Virginia, encountered one of the worst kinds of criminals, an aggravated felon, who had already been removed from the United States.

In Skagit County, 10 individuals were taken into custody, including nine from Mt. Vernon and one from Burlington. In Whatcom County, nine individuals were taken into custody from cities including: Bellingham (3), Bow (1), Everson (2), Ferndale (2) and Lynden (1).

All of the 100 men and 12 women taken into custody by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers during this week’s operation, which concluded late Wednesday, had criminal histories. The majority (62) had prior felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, such as child sex crimes, weapons charges, and assault.

Edwin Alexander Garcia-Pimentel, aka Huezo, 41, was transferred by ERO officers to the custody of Salvadoran law enforcement officials. An arrest warrant issued in June 2013 by a judge in El Salvador charges Garcia with aggravated murder.

The 24 arrestees were all male citizens and/or nationals of several different countries across the globe, including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ghana, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama and had previously been convicted of crimes, including rape of a minor, child abuse/neglect, grand larceny, drug distribution and more. Arrests took place in Fairfax, Woodbridge, Manassas, Falls Church, Annandale, Winchester, Sterling, Herndon, Springfield, as well as the District.

Alex Alexidze, 41, was repatriated to Canada via ground transportation under ICE escort July 19, from York County Prison and turned over without incident to the custody of the Canada Border Services Agency at the Niagara Falls International Rainbow Bridge.

Juan Otero-Navarro, 36, entered ERO custody Oct. 23 following his release from federal prison and was transferred to the Stewart County Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. Otero was convicted in September 2015 on a felony charge of illegally reentering the United States after a prior removal in May 2011. Otero was also convicted on felony forgery charges in Fairfax County, Virginia, in February 2011

Rolando Reyes-Cruz, 49, a Mexico national who was residing in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, was sentenced July 6 by U.S. District Judge James Peterson to 46 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported, which is a felony.

“Project Red II” targeted individuals with Interpol red notices and others wanted for serious crimes within Interpol member countries. A red notice serves as an international wanted notice and provides information on the identification of fugitives charged with or convicted of serious crimes who have fled prosecution or the serving of their sentence.

Jose Santiago-Cruz, 38, of Oaxaca, Mexico, was sentenced June 23 by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb to 30 months in federal prison for illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported, which is a felony. 

Blas Alberto Lopez-Angulo, 46, of Tijuana, was transferred by San Diego-based officers on ERO’s Special Response Team to the custody of representatives from Mexico’s Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) and Mexican immigration officials at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

ERO officers based in Kentucky arrested 49 individuals. Thirty-three of the 49 have been convicted of crimes in the United States including: grand theft auto, battery, sexual abuse, aggravated assault, DUI, hit and run. The remaining 16 are agency enforcement priorities as recent border crossers.