Mexican fugitive wanted for rape deported by ICE El Paso officers

EL PASO, Texas —A citizen of Mexico wanted for a 2009 rape in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi was deported Tuesday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Juan Humberto Collazo Sanchez, 39, was turned over to Mexican authorities at the top of the Stanton International Bridge.

Collazo Sanchez is wanted for rape in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, according to a Mexican arrest warrant dated Oct. 26, 2009.

On Nov. 24, 2015, Collazo Sanchez illegally entered the United States near Douglas, Arizona; he was arrested five days later and served with a notice and order of expedited removal, Form I-860.

On Jan. 25,  the Mexican attorney general’s office in El Paso advised ERO El Paso of Collazo Sanchez’ warrant issued by the office of the attorney general in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, for rape. The attorney general of Mexico requested ERO’s assistance in turning him over to Mexican law enforcement officials at the time of removal.

ERO El Paso took custody of Collazo Sanchez on May 26, and transferred him from the Reeves County Correctional Institution, in Pecos, Texas, to the El Paso Processing Center (EPC) in El Paso.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,150 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE HSI Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States. Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the toll-free ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

In fiscal year 2015, ICE conducted 235,413 removals nationwide. Ninety-one percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.

ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security.