ERO Seattle removes Austrian national wanted on 8-year sentence
SEATTLE — Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Seattle removed Karin Wallner, 47, a citizen of Austria who is wanted in her home country, Oct. 3. The Regional Court St. Polten in Austria convicted Wallner of continued act of violence on June 14, 2021, and sentenced her to eight years of imprisonment. She was previously convicted of attempted smuggling of foreign nationals in Germany on June 5, 2019, receiving a sentence of nine months in jail.
Wallner was encountered Aug. 13, 2022, at the Blaine Port of Entry on the Canadian border. Officials arrested her upon discovering she had violated the terms of her admission to the United States and was wanted for arrest in her home country of Austria.
“No foreign nationals should be allowed to take advantage of our laws that are meant to help people who are free of violent convictions,” said ERO Seattle Field Office Director Drew H. Bostock. “ERO officers are obligated and willing to ensure that any convicted criminal makes it back to their home country to serve any sentences ordered by a criminal court.”
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.
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.
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, @EROSeattle.
The Seattle Area of Responsibility covers Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
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