ERO Harlingen arrests Salvadoran convicted of sex and controlled substance crimes

HARLINGEN, Texas – On Jan. 19, officers with the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Harlingen fugitive operations team arrested Carlos Mauricio Zavala, a citizen of El Salvador, in Edinburg.

Zavala, 36, was convicted in Hidalgo County for indecency with a child, sexual contact and accident involving serious bodily injury, Nov. 22, 2022,  He was sentenced to seven years of community supervision and was on probation. He had previous convictions of theft of property in April 2009, driving while intoxicated in May 2018 and possession of a controlled substance in May 2021.

Zavala claims to have entered the United States on or about Aug. 1, 2006, near Hidalgo, without being inspected or admitted by an immigration officer.

Zavala will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

ERO, a directorate of ICE, upholds U.S. immigration law at, within, and beyond our borders. ERO operations target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, who have violated our nation's immigration laws, including those who illegally re-enter the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting foreign fugitives for crimes committed abroad at-large in the U.S. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, detention, bond management, supervised release, transportation, and removal. Additionally, ERO repatriates noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 150 countries worldwide.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.