EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 45-year-old man wanted for rape in his home country, Mexico, has been turned over to Mexican authorities, according to a news release by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday, Nov. 15.
Jose Luis Lopez-Hernandez, 45, was turned over to Mexican authorities on Thursday, Nov. 14 at the international boundary on the Stanton Street Bridge in Downtown El Paso, according to the ICE.
“Public safety will always be a priority for this office, and we will continue to work with our Mexican counterparts to remove dangerous criminals from our community,” Mary De Anda-Ybarra, field office director of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) El Paso said. “This foreign fugitive fled his home country to avoid prosecution, but he’s now back where he can face justice.”
According to ICE, Lopez-Hernandez unlawfully entered the U.S. near Santa Teresa, New Mexico on Oct. 19, where Border Patrol agents encountered and arrested him.
Border Patrol agents transferred Lopez-Hernandez to ICE’s custody on Oct. 23 and was detained pending removal to Mexico through the Interior Repatriation Initiative, ICE said.
The ERO “conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal,” the agency said.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from ICE and DHS.
ERO is one of ICE’s three operation directorates and the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement.
The public can report crimes and suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or by completing an online tip form on its website here.
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