South Texas ICE officers deport fugitive Salvadoran MS-13 gang member wanted for triple murder and attempted murder
SAN ANTONIO — A Salvadoran man, who is wanted for a triple murder and attempted murder in his home country, was deported Thursday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in San Antonio.
This removal is the latest result of stepped-up collaborative efforts to locate Salvadoran criminal fugitives in the United States and return them to El Salvador to face justice.
Jose Carlos Granado-Melgar, 29, was flown to El Salvador March 17 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Granado-Melgar was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Policia Nacional Civil (PNC).
The El Salvador arrest warrant states that on Feb. 5, 2013, Granado-Melgar and two other MS-13 gang members forced their way inside a home. Once inside, one gang member began threatening the occupants with a gun. Shots were fired during the confrontation, instantly killing two residents and injuring two others. The two injured residents managed to escape from the home and flag down help. Both were rushed to a hospital but one died during transport.
"Granado-Melgar was a fugitive from justice suspected of committing a series of egregious crimes in his home country resulting in the murder of three people," said Enrique M. Lucero field office director of ERO San Antonio. "ICE uses our unique immigration enforcement authorities, and relies on our international partnerships, to help protect our communities from criminal aliens who pose a public safety threat."
Granado-Melgar was arrested near Weslaco, Texas, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol Dec. 5, 2015. He was ultimately transferred to ICE custody and detained at the South Texas Detention Complex, in Pearsall, Texas. On Dec. 8, the ICE Liaison to Interpol in Washington D.C., provided information that Granado-Melgar was wanted in El Salvador for aggravated murder and attempted murder.
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 Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the country.
Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to call the toll-free ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. A tip can also be reported online by completing ICE’s online tip form.
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