ICE Chicago officers deport man wanted in Mexico on murder charges
Lived in suburban Joliet under an assumed name
CHICAGO — A Mexican fugitive wanted in his home country on outstanding murder charges was deported Friday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Juan Ruben Mendoza-Solis, 40, was deported from Chicago Sept. 26 via ICE charter aircraft and transferred to the custody of Mexican law enforcement authorities at the border crossing in Brownsville, Texas. He has an outstanding arrest warrant for murder issued by the 50th Penal Court in Mexico City. Mendoza-Solis had been living and working under an assumed name in Joliet, Illinois.
According to Mexican authorities, on Oct. 21, 2008, 18-year-old Jose Luis Jardon and a friend were walking in Colonia Guerrero in Mexico City when they were approached by two armed men, later identified as Juan Ruben Mendoza-Solis and his brother, Alejandro Mendoza-Solis. An altercation ensued, and Juan Ruben Mendoza-Solis allegedly shot Jardon five times, killing him. He fled the scene with his brother. Alejandro Mendoza-Solis was eventually convicted of murder and is currently serving a prison sentence in Mexico City's Oriente Prison.
Juan Ruben Mendoza-Solis subsequently fled to Illinois in January 2009 to evade the murder charges. Last month ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tip Line received an anonymous tip that Mendoza-Solis was living in the Joliet area.
On Sept. 4, HSI special agents arrested Mendoza-Solis in Joliet at the Rio Grande Valley Grocery where he was working. At the time of his arrest, Mendoza-Solis was living under the assumed identity of Raymundo Arias-Molina. On Sept. 10 an immigration judge ordered him removed from the United States. Mendoza-Solis remained in ICE custody until his removal Friday.
The HSI Attaché Office in Mexico City provided considerable assistance in the investigation that led to Mendoza-Solis's arrest.
"The repatriation of this murder suspect is the direct result of the ongoing cooperation between U.S. law enforcement and our Mexican counterparts," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. "Violent fugitives who believe they can evade justice by fleeing to the United States should be on notice they will find no refuge here."
Friday's removal demonstrates the expanded bilateral cooperation to identify, arrest and repatriate Mexican fugitives who have fled to the United States to avoid prosecution. ICE is working closely with the Mexican government as part of this effort. Many of these arrests involve violent crimes.
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 720 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with HSI, ICE's Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.
Updated: