2 Mexican men wanted for homicide and rape deported by ICE Dallas officers

DALLAS — Two Mexican men, who are wanted in their home country for separate crimes of homicide and rape, were deported Monday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Dallas.

Lazaro Gerardo Rascon-Balbastro, 26, and Abelardo Ibarra-De La O, 26, were both transported by bus to the U.S. Mexico border at Laredo, Texas, and transferred to Mexican authorities Sept. 26.

Rascon-Balbastro illegally entered the United States near Douglas, Arizona, March 1, 2016, while trying to smuggle marijuana inside large bundles. He was convicted of that crime March 9 and sentenced to 180 days in prison. On July 22, ERO was informed that Rascon-Balbastro had an outstanding warrant out of Mexico for homicide. Rascon-Balbastro was released to ICE custody Aug. 26 after he completed his prison sentence at the Giles W. Dalby Correctional Facility in Post, Texas. 

Ibarra-De La O tried to illegally enter the United States at El Paso, Texas, while possessing a fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card. He was convicted of fraud in the Western District of Texas Nov. 21, 2011, and sentenced to 36 months’ probation.  He was first removed to Mexico Jan. 17, 2012.  Ibarra-De La O was arrested again Feb. 14, 2012, while trying to illegally enter the United States near Fort Hancock, Texas. He was convicted of re-entry after deportation June 19, 2012, and sentenced to eight months’ incarceration. After serving his prison sentence, he was deported a second time Aug. 17, 2012. Ibarra-De La O was arrested again March 4, 2013, while trying to illegally enter the United States near Fort Hancock, Texas. He was convicted of re-entry after deportation Sept. 24, 2013, and sentenced to 10 months’ incarceration. After serving his prison sentence, he was deported a third time Dec. 31, 2013. Ibarra-De La O was arrested again July 21, 2015, while trying to illegally enter the United States near Fort Hancock, Texas. Ibarra-De La O was convicted in the Western District of Texas of re-entry after deportation Jan. 1, 2016, and sentenced to 15 months’ incarceration. ICE took custody of Ibarra-De La O Aug. 19. He was deported a fourth time Sept. 26.

On Aug. 5, 2016, ICE was informed by the Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR), that Ibarra-De La O had an outstanding arrest warrant for rape. The arrest warrant for Ibarra-De La O from the state of Zacatecas, Mexico, is dated May 29, 2013. According to the warrant, two women were waiting for a ride along a highway in Talesteipa, Tepechitlan, Zacatecas, on the night of June 5, 2011. Ibarra, aka La Momia (the Mummy), came up behind one of the girls, grabbed her throat, stole her cell phone and purse, accused her of working with the Zetas, and dragged her to a nearby abandoned house where he raped her.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,150 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States. Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

In fiscal year 2015, ICE conducted 235,413 removals nationwide. Ninety-one percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.

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.