ERO Denver removes Mexican national wanted for aggravated homicide

DENVER - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Denver removed an unlawfully present foreign fugitive Oct. 18 wanted for aggravated homicide by law enforcement authorities in his home country of Mexico.

Luis Hector Montes-Hernandez, 40, was flown from Denver International Airport to San Diego International Airport, where he was escorted by ERO San Diego to the San Ysidro Port of Entry and turned over to the proper authorities in Mexico.

U.S. Border Patrol agents first discovered and apprehended Montes in the United States Oct. 25, 2007, near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. He was granted voluntary return to Mexico. Montes claims to have illegally reentered the United States Dec. 1, 2007.

The Summit County Court in Colorado convicted Montes March 5, 2020, for the offense of felony menacing with a real or simulated weapon and sentenced him to 18 months incarceration.

ERO officers arrested him March 10 and served him a notice to appear. An immigration judge ordered Montez removed to Mexico Sept. 19.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 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.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form. Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ERODenver.