ICE returns Cuban fugitive wanted for child sexual abuse in Mexico
An ERO officer escorts Silverio across the port of entry in El Paso.
MIAMI – A Cuban citizen wanted in Mexico for the aggravated sexual abuse of a child was removed to that country Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
ERO officers transferred Ner Silverio Prieto to Mexican law enforcement authorities without incident Tuesday at the Stanton Street Bridge Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas.
Silverio, 64, was arrested by the Miami Dade Police Department in April 2000 for the lewd and lascivious molestation of a child under the age of 12. Prior to his prosecution in Florida, Silverio fled the U.S. and lived in Mexico, where his is accused of sexually abusing a prepubescent boy for more than three years.
Silverio attempted to reenter the U.S. in 2012 via a flight to Miami from Mexico City. He was promptly arrested, convicted of the U.S. molestation charge and sentenced to five years in prison. While in state prison, ERO sought Silverio’s removal from the United States, which resulted in an immigration judge ordering his removal from the United States in March 2013. In December 2014, Interpol in Mexico issued a notice on Silverio due to the alleged aggravated sexual abuse.
The Florida Department of Correction transferred Silverio to ICE custody in February 2015. Following a review of his case by agency attorneys, ERO served Silverio with a letter of intent to remove him to the alternate country of Mexico pursuant to federal law.
“This man was convicted of sexually abusing a child in the U.S. and is wanted on similar charges in Mexico,” said Marc J. Moore, field office director for ERO Miami. “ERO will use every tool at our disposal to ensure such predators are brought to justice no matter where they commit their crimes or where they try to hide.”
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 930 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 HSI’s 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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