South Texas ICE officers deport Salvadoran man wanted for aggravated homicide

LAREDO, Texas — A Salvadoran man, who is wanted for aggravated homicide in his home country, was deported Thursday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Laredo.

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.

Victoriano Enrique Larios, 30, was flown to El Salvador Aug. 27 onboard a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Larios was turned over to officials from the El Salvador’s Policia Nacional Civil (PNC).

The El Salvador arrest warrant states that on Sept. 4, 2007, Larios and another individual approached the home of Rufina Angelica Cruz Ventura with weapons on hand and immediately started shooting at her. She died moments later due to the injuries she sustained from the shooting.

Larios was arrested Aug. 3, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Border Patrol near McAllen, Texas. He was ultimately transferred to ICE custody and detained at the Rio Grande Detention Center in Laredo, Texas. On Aug. 6, the ICE Liaison to Interpol in Washington D.C. provided information that indicated Larios was wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide. 

Larios is the latest Salvadoran removal as part of ERO’s Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Initiative. The SAFE Initiative is geared toward identifying foreign fugitives who are wanted abroad and removable under U.S. immigration law.  In just three years, through the SAFE Initiative, ERO has removed more than 480 criminal fugitives to El Salvador. Those removed as part of the SAFE Initiative have been deemed ineligible to remain in the United States and were all wanted by PNC. SAFE aligns with ERO’s public safety priorities and eliminates the need for formal extradition requests.

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 HSI’s 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.