ERO Chicago arrests convicted sexual predator, Mexican national, following escape from local custody
CHICAGO — Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago deportation officers ended the manhunt for a Mexican man convicted of sexually assaulting a child in Illinois on June 2.
The man is an unlawfully present Mexican national who was convicted in April 2019 by the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, for predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and sentenced to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC). He was later paroled in April to complete his sentence on electronic monitoring.
Per the terms of his parole, he was required to register as a sex offender in Illinois, reside in a halfway house and be actively monitored by state parole officers. On May 30, he cut his electronic ankle monitor off and absconded. The Illinois DOC issued a warrant for his arrest following his failure to return to his mandated address.
The manhunt, spanning over multiple days, ended on June 2 when ERO deportation officers, assigned to the United States Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force along with deportation officers from the Chicago ERO Fugitive Operations Team apprehended the man during a targeted enforcement operation.
“Partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies is a crucial aspect of protecting the children in this community,” said acting Field Office Director for ERO Chicago Ladeon Francis. “We, and our law enforcement partners, work tirelessly each day to remove unlawfully present predators from our streets, but we need the public’s help. It’s important to note that with a proactive public who report their suspicions to law enforcement, together, we will increase public safety.”
ERO transferred custody of the fugitive to the United States Marshals Service who subsequently returned him to the Illinois DOC. The convicted child predator was remanded back to the Illinois DOC where he is expected to complete his sentence. On June 2, ERO lodged an immigration detainer with the DOC.
As part of its mission to identify and arrest removable noncitizens, ERO lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody by state or local law enforcement. An immigration detainer is a request from ICE to state or local law enforcement agencies to notify ICE as early as possible before a removable noncitizen is released from their custody. Detainers request that state or local law enforcement agencies maintain custody of the noncitizen for a period not to exceed 48 hours beyond the time the individual would otherwise be released, allowing ERO to assume custody for removal purposes in accordance with federal law.
As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Tipsters who want to report suspicious or criminal activity can contact the ICE Tip Line by calling 866- 347-2423 from the United States and Canada.
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