Thread: ICE El Paso removes Mexican fugitive wanted for 2009 aggravated kidnapping

I.C.E. News Release

TOP STORY

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL

09/15/2015


ICE El Paso removes Mexican fugitive wanted for 2009 aggravated kidnapping

Ciudad Juarez man died after being shot 4 times by kidnappers who demanded $700 ransom




EL PASO, Texas — A 27-year-old Mexican man wanted for allegedly kidnapping a man in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, six years ago was removed Monday to Mexico by agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Cesar Vega-Muñoz was turned over Sept. 14 to Mexican officials at the top of the Stanton International Bridge Port of Entry.

Vega-Muñoz, a gang member, is one of seven men who are charged with the aggravated kidnapping of Natividad Torres Leyva, who was kidnapped about 6:30 a.m. Sept. 15, 2009. A group of men kidnapped him at gunpoint in front of his house in Ciudad Juarez. The men asked him to get into their vehicle, and when he refused, one of the men pointed a gun at Torres Leyva’s wife.



What are high profile removals?

Since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003, the agency has removed hundreds of thousands of aliens, some of whom fall under the category of high profile removals.


He eventually got into the vehicle with the men, who held him against his will overnight. During the time the men held Torres Leyva captive, Vega-Muñoz allegedly was the one who negotiated the ransom over the telephone with the family. He initially asked for about $47,000 dollars, but finally settled for $700, a television and a 2008 Toyota. The men shot Torres Leyva four times the afternoon of Sept. 15, 2009, and released him the following morning. He died Oct. 21, 2009, at a Ciudad Juarez hospital from complications of the gunshot wounds.

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 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 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 submit a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

ERO coordinates the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Last year alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes its resources based on those who pose the biggest threat to national security, border security and public safety. ICE’s civil enforcement efforts are based on priorities set by the Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2014.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ic...ted-kidnapping

Hold the phone! If Homeland Security was efficient and sufficient, wouldn't more of these criminals be stopped and returned before entering. These press releases do not promote their laurels, but their deficiencies.

I.C.E. News Release

ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL

09/15/2015

What are high profile removals?




From Oct. 1, 2009 up to July 2015, ERO officers processed 1,536 high profile removals, of whom 1,151 were FAR cases, 277 were national security cases, 64 were human rights law section cases, 30 were of media interests and 14 had medical needs.


Since U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003, the agency has removed hundreds of thousands of aliens, some of whom fall under the category of high profile removals.

High profile removals are not only a danger to communities, but they also pose a threat to the officers who apprehend them and ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers who escort them back to their home countries, which may be as close as Mexico or as far as Yemen, Iraq, Rwanda and the Czech Republic.

Which criminal aliens fall under a high profile removal status? Most are fugitive alien removals, or FARs, meaning that he or she is wanted for a crime in another country regardless of the severity of the crime. FAR cases generally involve those who’ve committed serious crimes, including murder, rape, sexual abuse of a minor, drug offenses, alien smuggling, fraud or theft.

Some high profile removals are national security risks, such as suspected terrorists, those involved in counter-proliferation crimes or are on the Terrorist Watch list and/or the No-Fly list.

Farooq Mandhai, 32, a Pakistani national, was a high profile removal who “had all the factors of a national security type high profile removal,” said Greta Stephens, one of ICE’s high profile removal program staff officers. Mandhai was a national security risk due to being identified as a convicted terrorist. He had been convicted of plotting to bomb electrical power stations and a National Guard Armory in south Florida, as part of a jihad mission. In May, ERO officers in Chicago deported Mandhai back to Karachi, Pakistan.

Another category of high profile removals are human rights or war crimes violators, such as the 50 fugitives ICE arrested in early August during Operation No Safe Haven II, who are subject to repatriation to their countries of origin. Each subject was suspected of committing human rights abuses including torture, ethnic cleansing and forced sterilizations and abortions.

Those who have medical issues who may need medication or medical equipment during removal requiring ICE Health Service Corps involvement are also deemed high profile removals, as are those who generate media interest. The latter can be problematic if the media learns the removal date, said Stephens, who spent 12 years removing criminals, beginning when she was with ICE’s legacy agency, Immigration and Naturalization Service in 1996.

“Officers try to maintain a low profile when escorting people out of the country,” said Stephens. “The last thing we want to do is attract attention as it could negatively affect the success of the removal.”

Depending on the circumstances, high profile removals are escorted out of the country via commercial flights, charter flights or ICE’s own transportation through ICE Air Operations.

With high profile removals, however, the removal process goes beyond simply making flight arrangements. The Domestic Operations Section within ERO’s Field Operations Division oversees the completion of an Operation Plan prior to deporting these individuals. This involves coordination with ERO’s Removals and International Operations Division, ICE International Operations Attachés, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and foreign government officials.

“Deportation is the only remedy for an individual who illegally enters our country and then goes on to commit more crimes,” said ERO Executive Associate Director Tom Homan. “ERO prioritizes the removal of criminal aliens who pose a danger to national security or a risk to public safety, and we are proud to be carrying out this important mission.”

From Oct. 1, 2009 up to July 2015, ERO officers processed 1,536 high profile removals, of whom 1,151 were FAR cases, 277 were national security cases, 64 were human rights law section cases, 30 were of media interests and 14 had medical needs.

ERO coordinates the removal of criminals, foreign fugitives and others ordered deported. Last year alone, ERO removed 315,943 individuals from the United States. ICE is focused on smart and effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes its resources based on those who pose the biggest threat to national security, border security and public safety. ICE’s civil enforcement efforts are based on priorities set by the Secretary of Homeland Security in November 2014.

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.

More information on how ERO enforces the nation’s immigration laws →

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/wh...ofile-removals

Thanks, JohnDoe2. I read it and it seems that secure borders would be more sufficient and efficient, Over the last 70 years when has efficient or sufficient been goals of America?

The Border Patrol is in charge of the border area.

I.C.E. Enforcement and Removal teams go after the ones that get past the Border Patrol and into the interior of the country, including the ones who come here legally and don't become illegal until they overstay their visas or their home country notify the U.S. that they are now wanted criminals back home.