Tag Archives: fugitives

ICE Sting Operation Arrests 40 Criminal Aliens and Immigration Fugitives

November 7, 2012blogcriminal aliens, ERO, fugitives, ICE, immigration, immigration fugitives, immigration law, immigration law violations, National Fugitive Operations ProgramAlex Meyerovich

As part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 40 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a three-day operation in the greater Indianapolis area.

This operation concluded Sunday, November 4, 2012, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations teams in Indianapolis.

Of the 40 arrested, 25 had prior convictions for crimes such as: assault, domestic battery, drunken driving, and drugs. Thirteen of the 40 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; the majority of these also had criminal convictions. Four of those arrested had been previously removed from the country and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 37 men and three women arrested: Mexico (33), El Salvador (2), Cuba (1), Guatemala (1), Honduras (1), India (1), and Peru (1). The majority of the arrests (34), occurred in Indianapolis. Additional arrests were made in the following Indiana communities: Brownsburg, Camby, and Westfield.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

A 31-year-old Mexican national has a prior criminal conviction for driving drunk and endangering a person. He is also an immigration fugitive with an outstanding deportation order. He was arrested Nov. 4 at his residence in Indianapolis and remains in ICE custody pending removal.
A 34-year-old Mexican national has a prior conviction for drug possession. He was previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony. He was arrested Nov. 4 at his Indianapolis residence and remains in ICE custody pending removal.

“ERO is committed to making our communities safer by arresting and removing convicted criminal aliens and immigration fugitives,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. “By targeting our efforts on these egregious offenders, we are improving public safety while making the best use of our resources.”

This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives.

ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security. ICE 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.

30 Alien Smugglers Arrested by ICE in Southern Texas

September 20, 2012blogalien smuggler, arrest, CBP, fugitives, harboring illegal aliens, HSI, human smuggler, ICE, illegal alien, illegal alien transport, illegal immigration, indictment, undocumented aliensAlex Meyerovich

A total of 28 individuals were arrested Tuesday, September 18, 2012, with 12 being federally charged with alien transportation and harboring, announced U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman, Western District of Texas and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magdison, Southern District of Texas. This case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol.

In San Antonio, a nine-count federal grand jury indictment returned Sept.12 and unsealed Tuesday, September 18, 2012, charges the 12 in custody and eight other defendants with conspiring between September 2011 and August 2012 to transport and harbor undocumented aliens for financial gain. Other charges in the indictment include aiding and abetting the harboring of aliens; aiding or assisting an aggravated felon to enter the United States; transporting aliens for financial gain and placing in jeopardy the life of persons; and transporting aliens for financial gain.

“Today’s criminal charges are the result of the tireless efforts of HSI special agents, CBP Border Patrol partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to investigate and arrest those involved in the illicit and dangerous activity of human smuggling,” said Jerry Robinette, special agent in charge of HSI San Antonio. “The results today will have an impact on an organization that has endangered its human cargo and has shown very little restraint as to what extremes they will go to make a profit. HSI strongly discourages and warns people from becoming a victim and attempting to illegally enter the United States. Tragically, many have lost their lives while attempting this illegal and treacherous trip.”

“Cooperation and coordination among all law enforcement agencies is key to disrupting transnational criminal organizations and keeping our border communities safe. Today is a perfect example of what unity of effort and a whole-of-government approach means in combatting transnational criminal organizations and ultimately keeping the American public safe. Customs and Border Protection in South Texas continues to strengthen partnerships, conduct joint operations and share information with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies,” stated CBP South Texas Commander Robert L. Harris.

According to court documents, authorities allege that the defendants, with reckless disregard for human life, used stolen vehicles to transport more than 100 undocumented aliens from Laredo to staging areas in San Antonio.

The following individuals were arrested in San Antonio Tuesday, September 18, 2012: April Gaitan, 26; Armando Gaitan, 29; Sonia Campos-Delgado, 34; and Florencio Vaquez, 25. The following two defendants were arrested in Del Valle, Texas, outside of Austin: Carlos Rocha Leos, 35, and Sergio Israel Leos, 19.

Arrested in Laredo were Ivan Martinez and Elvia Vasquez-Morales, 38. The following four additional defendants were already in custody on other charges: Everlin Moreno-Mejia, 22; Luis Aguirre-Guerrero, 25; and Juan Manuel Vasquez-Laris, 26.

Eight defendants in this indictment remain fugitives, including ringleader Fernando Martinez-Magana, 40, aka “Dieciseis” aka “Zeta 16” aka “Don Fernando,” of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

A separate, but related, indictment was also returned in the Laredo Division of the Southern District of Texas Sept. 11, which alleges that between June 30 and Dec. 31, 2011, several individuals conspired to transport and move illegal aliens who had come to, entered and remained in the United States. The sealed indictment was partially unsealed today following the arrests of 16 charged in the case. The indictment remains sealed for those not yet in custody.

Upon conviction of the conspiracy charge, the defendants face up to 20 years imprisonment. The remaining charges call for either 20-year or 10-year maximum terms of imprisonment upon conviction.

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Target Operation in Chicago Nets Over 3 Dozen Criminal Aliens

July 23, 2012blogarrests, criminal aliens, drug trafficking, DUI, ERO, felony, fugitives, ICE, illegal aliens, National Fugitive Operations Program, target operationAlex Meyerovich

As part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 44 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested the week ending in July 20, 2012, during a five-day operation in the Chicago area.

This operation concluded Wednesday, July 18, 2012, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Fugitive Operations Teams in Chicago.

Of the 44 arrested, 33 had criminal convictions for crimes such as: cocaine possession, burglary, battery, assault, distributing marijuana, fraud, aggravated DUI and domestic violence. Eighteen of the 44 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; 14 of those are convicted criminals in addition to having outstanding deportation orders. Ten of the 44 – including five convicted criminals – had been previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 44 men who were arrested during this operation: Mexico (33), Poland (5), Guatemala (3), Philippines (1), Mongolia (1), Slovakia (1). Chicago had the most arrests (14); additional arrests were made in the following 23 northern Illinois cities: Aurora, Bensenville, Cicero, Des Plaines, Elgin, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park, Glenview, Highwood, Ingleside, Morton Grove, Mundelein, Naperville, North Chicago, Oswego, Park City, Park Ridge, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Schaumburg, St. Charles, Wheeling and Winfield.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

A 24-year-old Mexican national who was previously convicted of burglary and sentenced to three years in prison. He was arrested July 14. During the arrest, ERO officers discovered narcotics. He is currently facing state drug charges and is being held at the Cook County Jail with an immigration detainer.
A 43-year-old Polish national previously convicted of possessing ecstasy with the intent to deliver. He is wanted by Interpol for crimes regarding a fatal car crash inPoland. He was arrested July 17 and remains in ICE custody pending removal toPoland.

“The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE’s ongoing commitment to public safety,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director of ERO Chicago. “By arresting and removing convicted criminal aliens, we immediately improve the safety of our communities.”

These arrests were coordinated with ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives – aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation handed down by federal immigration courts. ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams give top priority to cases involving aliens who pose a threat to national security and public safety, including members of transnational street gangs and child sex offenders.