ICE removes fugitive murder convict to Honduras
Marlon Joel Paz-Mendoza boards a plane for return to Honduras, where he has been convicted of murder.
NEW ORLEANS, La. — A Honduran man convicted of murder charges in his home country was removed from the United States Friday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Marlon Joel Paz-Mendoza, 29, was convicted on murder charges and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment by Honduran courts Sept. 5, 2013.
According to court records from the Eastern District of Louisiana United States Attorney’s Office, on or about March 20, 2014, Paz-Mendoza was found in the United States after having been removed on two prior occasions, most recently on or about March 14, 2014.
Paz-Mendoza was removed by ERO officers via an ICE Air Operations charter aircraft Friday from Alexandria International Airport in Alexandria to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Upon his arrival in Honduras, ERO officers transferred him into the custody of their national police.
"The arrest and removal of criminal aliens is at the absolute core of what we do," said ERO New Orleans Field Office Director David Rivera. "ICE uses its unique immigration enforcement authorities to safeguard our communities from criminal aliens and others who pose a public safety threat, including suspects attempting to evade law enforcement."
In fiscal year 2014, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. In addition to convicted criminals, the agency's enforcement priorities include those apprehended while attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, illegal re-entrants — individuals who returned to the United States after being previously removed by ICE — and immigration fugitives. In fiscal year 2014, 98 percent of ICE removals met these priorities.
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