Dominican Republic National and Murder Suspect Deported by ICE

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Due to the criminal conviction, his legal status was revoked.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.

ICE Target Operation Arrests 39 Criminal Aliens and Immigration Fugitives

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, 39 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a two-day operation in Lexington.

This operation concluded Sunday, January 13, 2013, and was conducted by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations teams from Louisville, Ky.

Of the 39 arrested, 36 had convictions for crimes such as: assault, possessing a concealed deadly weapon, hit and run, drunken driving, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, domestic violence, and drug possession. One of the convicted criminals was also an immigration fugitive who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart.

The three individuals arrested who did not have any criminal convictions had been previously removed and illegally re-entered the United States, making them an enforcement priority for ICE. Anyone who re-enters the United States after having been previously deported commits a felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.

Of the 39 men arrested in Lexington, 38 are from Mexico, and one is from Honduras.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

·                             A 38-year-old Mexican national has prior criminal convictions for possessing a controlled substance and assault causing bodily injury of a family member. He was deported in 2005 and illegally re-entered the United States. He was arrested Jan. 12 and remains in ICE custody pending removal.

·                             A 33-year-old Mexican national has prior criminal convictions for aggravated assault on a police officer, first-degree indecent exposure, and endangering the welfare of a child. He was arrested Jan. 13 and remains in ICE custody pending removal.

"Our focus on priority targets significantly improves the safety and security of communities in Lexington and throughout the state," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. "By targeting criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators, we ensure the best use of agency resources with a continued focus on public safety."

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.

ICE Announces 2012 Deportation Statistics; Announces New Detainer Guidance

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.

ICE Target Operation Arrests 17 Criminal Aliens and Immigration Fugitives

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.

ICE Target Operation Arrests 17 Criminal Aliens and Immigration Fugitives

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, 17 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a three-day operation in the Madison area.

This operation concluded Sunday, December 9, 2012, and was conducted by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations teams in Milwaukee.

All 17 arrested had prior convictions for crimes, such as: assault, battery, drunken driving, child abuse causing serious injury, felony stalking, false imprisonment and theft. One of those arrested was an immigration fugitive who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; five others had been previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 17 men arrested: Mexico (15), Honduras (1) and Nicaragua (1). Nine arrests occurred in Madison; additional arrests were made in the following Wisconsin communities: Fitchburg, Fort Atkinson, Middleton, Sun Prairie, Watertown, Waukesha and Windsor.

Following are summaries of three individuals arrested during this operation:

·                             A 37-year-old Mexican national has prior criminal convictions for child abuse causing serious injury and criminal damage to property. He was previously deported to Mexico in 2000 and illegally re-entered the United States. He was arrested Dec. 7 near his Waukesha residence and faces federal prosecution for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported.

·                             A 35-year-old Mexican national has prior criminal convictions for petty theft, hit and run of an attended vehicle, criminal damage to property, misappropriation of an ID and escape. He was previously deported to Mexico three times: in 2000, 2002 and 2009. He was arrested Dec. 7 in Ft. Atkinson and remains in ICE custody pending removal. He may face federal prosecution for illegally re-entering the United States after deportation.

·                             A 24-year-old Mexican national has prior criminal convictions for battery, bail jumping and disorderly conduct. He was previously deported to Mexico in 2007 and illegally re-entered the United States. He was arrested Dec. 8 at his Madison residence and remains in ICE custody pending removal. He may face federal prosecution for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported.

"ERO is committed to improving the safety of our communities by arresting and removing convicted criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators who have no regard for U.S. laws," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. "By prioritizing our efforts on criminal aliens, we significantly improve public safety while making the best use of our resources."

This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE's National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP), which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives. ICE received substantial assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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.

ICE Target Operation Arrests 31 Criminal Aliens

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, 31 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a two-day operation in the greater Chicago area.

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

Of the 31 arrested, 26 had prior convictions for crimes such as: aggravated assault, weapons offenses, domestic battery, aggravated drunken driving, burglary and drugs. Thirteen of the 31 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; the majority of these also had criminal convictions. Six 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 31 men arrested: Mexico (22), Nigeria (2), Germany (1), Guatemala (1), Honduras (1), Poland (1), Tajikistan (1), Thailand (1) and Venezuela (1). The arrests occurred in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, including Addison, Cicero, Bolingbrook and Waukegan.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

·                             A 51-year-old Mexican national has prior criminal convictions for aggravated assault on a police officer, illegally re-entering the United States after being deported, and domestic battery. He was arrested Nov. 3 at his Naperville residence and remains in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico.

·                             A 64-year-old German national has prior criminal convictions for possessing a firearm silencer and theft. He is also an immigration fugitive with an outstanding deportation order. He was arrested Nov. 4 at his Chicago residence and remains in ICE custody pending removal to Germany.

"ERO officers will continue to work tirelessly to improve the public safety in the Chicago area by locating, apprehending and removing at-large criminal aliens and repeat immigration violators who have blatantly disregarded the immigration laws," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. "With targeted enforcement operations, we are focusing our resources on the most egregious offenders while improving public safety for law-abiding residents in our communities."

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.