A
Dominican Republic man, who resided unlawfully in the Inwood section of
Manhattan, was deported early Thursday January 24, 2013, and turned over to
Dominican Republic authorities by officers with U.S. Immigration and Custom's
Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). The man, who was
wanted in connection with four murders, was previously removed from the United States
after a felony criminal conviction for selling narcotics. After his prior
deportation, he illegally re-entered the country.
Hector
Vargas-Valero, 39, a Dominican Republic
national, was deported from the United
States via an ICE charter flight. ERO
officers turned him over to Dominican
Republic authorities early Thursday, January
24, 2013. His removal follows his Jan. 7, 2013, arrest by ERO officers assigned
to the agency's Criminal Alien Program.
On
Aug. 26, 2011, Vargas-Valerio and co-conspirators allegedly kidnapped four
individuals in which all were murdered in Santiago,
Dominican Republic.
On Sept. 22, 2011, a judge in Santiago
issued a warrant for Vargas-Valerio's arrest in relation to this alleged crime.
On
July 12, 2012, Interpol issued a "diffusion notice" for
Vargas-Valerio. This notice requests the arrest or location of an individual -
or additional information - in relation to a police investigation.
"Vargas-Valerio
is an international fugitive who allegedly kidnapped and ended four lives in
the Dominican Republic,"
said Raymond A. Simonse, acting field office director for ERO New York.
"He illegally entered the United
States in an attempt to evade justice and
start a new life. We discovered who he really is, and now we have returned him
to his homeland to face prosecution for his alleged crimes."
Vargas-Valerio
was admitted into the United
States as a lawful permanent resident
July 18, 1984. New York Superior Court convicted him Oct. 6, 1993, for selling a
controlled substance. He was subsequently sentenced to 54 months in prison.
Due
to the criminal conviction, his legal status was revoked. On Nov. 18, 1998, the
legacy Immigration and Nationality Service removed Vargas-Valerio from the United States to the Dominican Republic.
After
his deportation, Vargas-Valerio returned to the United States unlawfully. The
agency reinstated his final order of removal from 1998.
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 country.
On
Friday, December 21, 2012, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Director John Morton announced the agency's fiscal year (FY) 2012 year-end
removal numbers, highlighting trends that underscore the administration's focus
on removing from the country convicted criminals and other individuals that
fall into priority areas for enforcement.
To
further focus ICE resources on the most serious criminal offenders, on Friday,
December 21, 2012, ICE also issued new national detainer guidance. This
guidance limits the use of detainers to individuals who meet the department's
enforcement priorities and restricts the use of detainers against individuals
arrested for minor misdemeanor offenses such as traffic offenses and other
petty crimes, helping to ensure that available resources are focused on
apprehending felons, repeat offenders and other ICE priorities. It is
applicable to all ICE enforcement programs, including Secure Communities.
"Smart
and effective immigration enforcement relies on setting priorities for removal
and executing on those priorities," said Director Morton. "In order
to further enhance our ability to focus enforcement efforts on serious
offenders, we are changing who ICE will issue detainers against. While the FY
2012 removals indicate that we continue to make progress in focusing resources
on criminal and priority aliens, with more convicted criminals being removed
from the country than ever before, we are constantly looking for ways to ensure
that we are doing everything we can to utilize our resources in a way that
maximizes public safety."
Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano has directed ICE to focus
its resources on key priorities in all aspects of its immigration enforcement
efforts. ICE's implementation of this directive includes the new national
detainer policy announced Friday, December 21, 2012, as well as the continued
use of investigations and programs like Operation Cross Check that target
criminal aliens and ICE's expanded collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border
Protection to remove recent border crossers.
ICE
priorities include the identification and removal of those that have broken
criminal laws, threats to national security, recent border crossers and repeat
violators of immigration law. Overall, in FY 2012 ICE's Office of Enforcement
and Removal Operations removed 409,849 individuals. Of these, approximately 55
percent, or 225,390 of the people removed, were convicted of felonies or
misdemeanors – almost double the removal of criminals in FY 2008. This includes
1,215 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,557 aliens convicted of sexual offenses;
40,448 aliens convicted for crimes involving drugs; and 36,166 aliens convicted
for driving under the influence.
ICE
continues to make progress with regard to other categories prioritized for
removal. Some 96 percent of all ICE's removals fell into a priority category –
a record high.
To
support DHS' efforts to secure our nation's borders, ICE prioritizes the
identification and removal of recent border crossers and conducts targeted
enforcement operations with the U.S. Border Patrol. The historic results along
the Southwest Border are attributable to the joint efforts of U.S. Border Patrol
agents and ICE officers and agents, and the emphasis ICE places on the removal
of recent border crossers.
As
part of the effort to ensure that the immigration system can focus its
resources on priority cases, ICE has also implemented policies and processes
that ensure that those enforcing immigration laws make appropriate use of the
discretion they have in deciding the types of individuals prioritized for
removal from the country. In addition, ICE has also decided not to renew any of
its agreements with state and local law enforcement agencies that operate task
forces under the 287(g) program. ICE has concluded that other enforcement
programs, including Secure Communities, are a more efficient use of resources
for focusing on priority cases.
ICE
will continue to analyze its policies and the results of its programs, making
improvements where necessary to meet our priorities.
Nine criminal aliens, two fugitives and six repeat immigration violators were arrested during a three-day operation in southeast Alabama that concluded Sunday, December 16, 2012, conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
ICE's Birmingham fugitive operations team led the effort, which resulted in the arrest of priority targets in multiple Alabama cities including: Montgomery (6), Opelika (5), Auburn (1), Phenix City (1), Eufaula (1), Skipperville (1), Prattville (1) and Clanton (1).
"These arrests of convicted criminals and repeat immigration violators demonstrate ICE's ongoing commitment to public safety," said ERO New Orleans Field Office Director Philip T. Miller. "When ICE prioritizes these individuals for arrest, our officers and agents work tirelessly to pursue the leads." Miller oversees ERO activities in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
The nine criminal aliens arrested during the weekend operation have criminal convictions for crimes to include aggravated assault, burglary, drug smuggling, forgery, stalking, drunken driving, hit-and-run and domestic violence.
Two of the 17 arrested are fugitives who failed to depart the country after an immigration judge ordered them removed from the United States. Nine of the illegal aliens arrested – including six convicted criminals – had been previously deported. Illegally re-entering the United States after removal is a felony offense.
These arrests were coordinated with ICE's National Fugitive Operations Program. The program investigates, locates, arrests and removes at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives – aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation handed down by the nation's 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.
ERO 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. ERO 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.
In fiscal year 2011, ERO removed 396,906 individuals nationwide – the largest number in the agency's history. Of these, nearly 55 percent, or 216,698 of the people removed, were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors. This includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence.
ERO achieved similar results with regard to other categories prioritized for removal. Ninety percent of all ERO's removals fell into a priority category, and more than two-thirds of the other removals in 2011 were either recent border crossers or repeat immigration violators.
A Mexican national was sentenced Friday, November 2, 2012, to 26 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release for illegal re-entry into the United States, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers.
After Mario Estrella, 29, completes his prison sentence, he will be turned over to ERO for removal from the United States.
According to court documents, Estrella was convicted Nov. 17, 2004, of throwing a deadly missile at or into an occupied vehicle, a felony in Florida. He was deported to Mexico Dec. 17, 2009. Estrella re-entered the United States at an unknown place and date.
On May 13, the ERO Miami Interoperability Response Center filed an immigration detainer on Estrella with Florida's Orange County Jail. ERO officers interviewed and fingerprinted Estrella May 14. ERO Violent Criminal Alien Section officers arrested Estrella July 2 for illegally re-entering the United States without permission.
He was indicted by a federal grand jury July 25 and pleaded guilty Aug. 16.
ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities. 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.
