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April 24, 2023New Orleans, LA, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

ERO New Orleans arrests 12 during weeklong operation

NEW ORLEANS - Deportation officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) New Orleans arrested 12 unlawfully present individuals in a weeklong operation that focused efforts against current threats to local public safety.

The efforts targeted noncitizens who have public safety arrests or convictions with a final order of removal and no pending appeals. They also targeted noncitizens released from Orleans Parish where immigration detainers were not honored.

Among those arrested were:

  • A 21-year-old citizen of Honduras who has a conviction for possession of a Schedule II controlled substance without a prescription. He will be detained pending removal proceedings.
  • A 20-year-old previously removed citizen of Honduras who unlawfully reentered the United States and has been charged with driving while intoxicated.
  • A previously removed 34-year-old citizen of Honduras who unlawfully reentered the United States — a federal felony.
  • A 31-year-old citizen of Honduras convicted of driving while intoxicated and sentenced to one year imprisonment. He was previously ordered removed but failed to comply with an immigration judge’s order.
  • A 31-year-old previously removed citizen of Guatemala who unlawfully reentered the United States — a federal felony.
  • A 34-year-old citizen of Honduras who was previously removed from the United States and unlawfully reentered the country, who also has convictions for domestic violence, multiple convictions for illegal reentry and an arrest for driving while intoxicated.
  • A 34-year-old previously ordered removed citizen of Nicaragua who failed to comply with an immigration judge’s order of removal.
  • A 34-year-old previously removed citizen of Honduras who failed to comply with an immigration judge’s order of removal.
  • A 49-year-old previously removed citizen of Nicaragua who unlawfully reentered the United States and has three convictions for driving while intoxicated. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal.
  • A 30-year-old previously removed citizen of Honduras who unlawfully reentered the United States and has convictions for illegal reentry, possession of Schedule I and Schedule II controlled substances, and an open warrant for domestic abuse. He will be detained pending removal proceedings.
  • A 49-year-old citizen of Honduras who is unlawfully present in the United States and has four convictions of driving while intoxicated. He will be detained pending removal proceedings.
  • A 40-year-old citizen of Honduras who is unlawfully present in the United States and has a conviction of driving while intoxicated. He will be detained pending removal proceedings.
“Officers in the New Orleans field office work tirelessly to identify, locate and apprehend individuals who threaten the safety of our communities and have demonstrated a disregard for the laws of the United States,” said ERO New Orleans Field Office Director Mellissa Harper. “Removing these individuals from our local community demonstrates the vital role that ICE has in the law enforcement community. Without ICE’s law enforcement authorities, these individuals would have continued to reside in the local community.”

ICE officers carefully evaluated individual targets on a case-by-case basis, assessing the totality of the facts and circumstances to make informed arrest determinations. Those cases amenable to prosecution will be presented to the U.S. attorney’s office.

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.

In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the ICE tip form.

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