News Releases and Statements

Individuals who lack a lawful basis to stay in the United States are ordered removed, consistent with U.S. law – all individuals who are removed have been screened for protection concerns.

Individuals who lack a lawful basis to stay in the United States are ordered removed, consistent with U.S. law – all individuals who are removed have been screened for protection concerns.

The Turkish citizen was temporarily admitted into the United States in June 2019 as a visitor. He was later granted nonimmigrant student status in January 2020 while in the United States. The individual had been sentenced May 3, 2019, under the Turkish Penal Code to three years and nine months in prison and fled to the United States without revealing his child sexual abuse conviction to U.S. authorities.

208 previously deported violent criminals referred for federal prosecution to discourage border migration in Salt Lake City area of responsibility to include Utah, Idaho, Montana and Nevada.

According to law enforcement officials, Joshuah Cruz Eberhart, 24, of Clay Springs, sent sexually explicit material involving a minor over the internet.

On Sept. 8, ERO Baltimore arrested an undocumented noncitizen who was convicted of sex crimes in Maryland. Deportation officers from the ERO Baltimore’s Criminal Apprehensions Program took the 31-year-old Honduran national into custody at the Maryland Division of Corrections’ Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown. He will remain in ERO custody pending his removal from the United States.

The operation addressed unlawfully present noncitizens with felonies or misdemeanors for domestic violence, sexual abuse or exploitation, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence, and noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have unlawfully reentered the United States after having been previously removed.

Eric Nana Kofi Ampong Coker, 41, of Columbia received a sentence of 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland Sep. 6. 

ERO Philadelphia removed Iva Masinova, a citizen of the Czech Republic with a final order of removal, on Sept. 7. Law enforcement authorities in the Czech Republic are looking for Masinova for fraud, bodily harm and breach of the public peace.

ERO Washington, D.C. removed Jose Wilfredo Andrade, on Sep. 8, who is wanted by Salvadoran authorities for aggravated fraud. His removal and transfer of custody to the Salvadoran National Police (PNC) occurred without incident.

On Sept. 8, ERO Newark announced the local results of a nationwide enforcement operation conducted between Aug. 4 and Aug. 25 during which officers apprehended 18 removable noncitizens determined to be a threat to national security, public safety or border security.

Individuals who lack a lawful basis to stay in the United States are ordered removed, consistent with U.S. law – all individuals who are removed have been screened for protection concerns.

On Sept. 7, HSI Houston, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and various other federal, state and local law enforcement authorities announced charges brought against 39 individuals under the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative.

On Sept. 8, ICE's ERO Phoenix announced the arrests of 14 noncitizens during a statewide operation that ran from Aug. 28 through Sept. 1.

Officers focused enforcement efforts against priority removable fugitive noncitizens – specifically, those identified as having criminal convictions for crimes including, burglary, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug distribution or trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation, or unlawful possession or use of a firearm – as well as noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have re-entered the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

Ten human traffickers were arrested during the operation, including four documented gang members and six gang associates. All 10 individuals were arrested pursuant to federal arrest warrants and are charged with various crimes such as sex trafficking of minors, sex trafficking of minors by force and conspiracy to sex traffic minors.

Nina Buendia, Patricia Garcia, Kayloni Guerra, Ernesto Martin, Michael Cory Norris and Mount Vernon Robinson of Sells and Travis Lopez of Covered Wells were among those indicted.

Guest speakers included Luis Moreno Ocampo, Founding Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court and Former Deputy Prosecutor, Junta Trial in Argentina; The Honorable Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State; Eli Rosenbaum, Counselor for War Crimes Accountability, U.S. Department of Justice; Scott Johnston, Section Chief, Human Rights and Democracy, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control; Joseph Zogby, Staff Director and Democratic Chief Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary; Kimberly Stanton, Democratic Staff Director, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. House of Representatives; and Fredy Peccerelli, Executive Director, Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala.

Officers focused enforcement efforts on priority fugitive noncitizens and priority noncitizens previously removed from the United States who reentered the country illegally; specifically, those identified as having a criminal conviction for certain felonies or convictions for other crimes including but not limited to murder for hire, manslaughter, sex crimes against children, assault with a firearm, battery, domestic violence, drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence.

Individuals who lack a lawful basis to stay in the United States are ordered removed, consistent with U.S. law – all individuals who are removed have been screened for protection concerns.

In March, Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 61, was arrested in Mexico pursuant to a U.S. request for her extradition and surrendered to U.S. authorities on Sept. 5 to face charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed in March. She made her scheduled initial appearance in federal court Sept. 6 in Phoenix, Arizona.

According to court documents, from February through March 28, 2023, González Montañez, recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, advertised, maintained and patronized a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity for profit. González Montañez also employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced the same child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing and transmitting child sexual abuse material.

Robert Anthony Thomas, 47, of Parkersburg, received the sentence Aug. 30 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia in Charleston. Thomas must also register as a sex offender.

Officers focused enforcement efforts against priority removable fugitive noncitizens — specifically, those identified as having criminal convictions for crimes including burglary, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug distribution or trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation, or unlawful possession or use of a firearm — as well as noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have reentered the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

With a career spanning more than 20 years in law enforcement and following multiple field and headquarters positions, Rebecca González-Ramos represents Puerto Rico in the federal government's Senior Executive Service.