ICE deports man wanted in Mexico for homicide

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A Mexican national, who is wanted for homicide in his home country, was deported and turned over to Mexican law enforcement officials Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Abraham Moreno-Gutierrez, 34, was transferred to the custody of Mexican law enforcement authorities by ERO officers from Brownsville. Moreno-Gutierrez is wanted by Mexican law enforcement officials for homicide and family violence. A judge in China Nuevo Leon, Mexico issued the arrest warrant in February 2010.

Moreno-Gutierrez, who was living in the United States illegally, was arrested Aug. 5, 2011, by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

On Feb. 2, an immigration judge ordered Moreno-Gutierrez removed from the United States. A subsequent appeal of the decision was denied and his case was dismissed.

"This individual attempted to elude justice in Mexico by seeking safe haven in the United States," said Pete Del Angel, Acting ERO field office director for San Antonio. "ICE prioritizes the arrest and removal of criminal aliens who pose a threat to our communities. We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners here and abroad to ensure these individuals are identified and brought to justice."

ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security. ERO also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or those criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.

As a result of these types of initiatives, for three years in a row, ICE has removed more aliens than were removed in fiscal year (FY) 2008. Overall, in FY 2011 ICE removed 396,906 individuals nationwide – the largest number in the agency's history. Of these, nearly 55 percent or 216,698 of the people removed were convicted of crimes – an 89 percent increase in the removal of criminals since FY 2008. This includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes; and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence.