ICE removes man wanted in Peru for felony sex crimes against a minor
CHANTILLY, Va. — A Peruvian man wanted in his home country for felony sex crimes against a minor was removed from the United States Wednesday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Pedro Antiogenes Rosas-Astete, 54, of Peru, illegally entered the United States near Rio Grande City, Texas, in 2005.
In September 2013, the Second Specialized Criminal Court’s Superior Court of Justice in Lima, Peru, issued an arrest warrant for Rosas-Astete for committing felony sex crimes against a minor. Interpol, based on the Peruvian arrest warrant, issued a Red Notice for Rosas-Astete in November 2013.
The Washington, D.C.-based ERO Fugitive Operations Team apprehended Rosas-Astete at his Lorton residence in August 2014. At that time, ERO took custody of Rosas-Astete and issued him a notice to appear in immigration court. In October 2014, an immigration judge ordered Rosas-Astete removed to Peru.
ERO officers removed Rosas-Astete from the United States Wednesday via a commercial flight that departed Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly. On that same day, upon arrival at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, ERO officers transferred Rosas-Astete to the custody of Peruvian law enforcement authorities.
“The removal of Mr. Rosas-Astete demonstrates how ICE works with its law enforcement partners across the globe,” said ERO Washington Field Office Director Yvonne Evans. “We take our country’s immigration laws seriously, and the United States will not serve as a safe haven for individuals who commit crimes abroad.”
In fiscal year 2013, ICE conducted 368,644 removals nationwide. Nearly 60 percent of ICE's total removals had been previously convicted of a criminal offense; 82 percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.
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 2013, 98 percent of ICE removals met these priorities – a record high.
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