ICE Houston deports Mexican man wanted for homicide
HOUSTON — A Mexican man wanted in his native country for homicide was deported Friday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Marco Vidal-Castillo, 39, was escorted to the Juarez Lincoln Port in Laredo, Texas, and turned over to Mexico's Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) March 27.
"Identifying and removing foreign fugitives from the United States is an ICE priority," said Steven P. Boll, field office director of ERO Houston. "The cooperation between the United States and Mexican governments resulted in this foreign fugitive being safely returned to his home country where he can stand trial for his alleged crimes."
Vidal-Castillo was arrested Jan. 11 by U.S. Border Patrol agents near Hildalgo, Texas. Vidal-Castillo was subsequently convicted of re-entering the United States after being deported Jan. 13 and sentenced to 45 days in prison. On Feb. 24, he was turned over to ICE custody.
Vidal-Castillo was twice deported from the U.S. in 2008 and 2012. It is a felony to re-enter the United States after having been deported. Vidal-Castillo was twice convicted for illegally re-entering the U.S.
This removal resulted from the expanded bi-national cooperation to identify, arrest and repatriate Mexican fugitives who have fled to the United States to avoid prosecution. ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Attaché Office in Mexico works closely with the Mexican government as part of this effort. Many of the fugitives captured in the United States are wanted in Mexico for homicide or other violent crimes.
ERO is responsible for coordinating the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO assistant attachés for repatriation have assisted with the removal of 720 foreign fugitives from the United States who were being sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. Last year alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States, 98 percent of which met one or more of ICE's immigration enforcement priorities.
Through its International Operations, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has 65 operational attaché offices in 46 countries around the world. HSI special agents work closely with foreign law enforcement agencies. Additionally, HSI brings personnel from host countries to the United States to train at the Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Georgia. Both HSI and ERO personnel work on issues of mutual interest with host governments.
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