ICE removes Salvadoran man wanted for child rape
ALEXANDRIA, La. – A Salvadoran man illegally present in the United States, who is wanted in his home country for the rape of a 12-year-old girl, was removed from the United States Wednesday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Luis Enrique Pineda-Mejivar, 22, was encountered Sept. 5 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection near McAllen, Texas, after he illegally crossed the border into the United States.
Hernandez is wanted in his home country for the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Chalatenango, El Salvador, January 21, 2015, according to a Salvadoran arrest warrant issued in September.
Hernandez was removed Wednesday via an ICE Air charter flight from Alexandria, La., to San Salvador, El Salvador, where he was then transferred into Salvadoran law enforcement custody.
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue to focus its removal resources on violent criminals and other high-priority aliens who pose the greatest threat to our communities," said ERO New Orleans Field Office Director David Rivera.
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 the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Affairs, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.
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