(PatriotWise.com) — An illegal immigrant who fled Columbia while serving a prison sentence for murder was captured in New York City in December by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and subsequently deported in February, Fox News reported.
In a February 26 press release, ICE announced that Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia deported Miguel Angel Hernandez Moreno on February 13.
Hernandez was convicted of murder in November 2011 and sentenced to 22 years in a Columbian prison. In September 2017, he fled custody while on a 72-hour furlough.
After escaping custody, Hernandez eventually entered the United States illegally. However, in its press release, ICE said it was not sure when Hernandez arrived in the US or where he crossed the border.
Hernandez first landed on ICE’s radar on December 18, 2023, when he was arrested by Jersey City Police for assault and making terroristic threats. However, Hernandez was released from jail before the Newark Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) could issue an immigration detainer.
Newark ERO caught up with Hernandez in Queens, New York, on December 27, 2023, when he was apprehended during a “targeted enforcement action.”
After initially being held at the detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on December 29, Hernandez was transferred to ERO Philadelphia for processing. An immigration judge ordered Hernandez’s removal on January 10, 2024, and Hernandez waived his right to appeal the order.
The removal was carried out on February 13, when the fugitive was returned to Columbian authorities to serve his prison sentence.
Camilla Wamsley, the director of the ERO Philadelphia Field Office, said ICE frequently encounters fugitives fleeing justice in their native countries by illegally crossing the US border.
Wamsley praised the officers from ERO Philadelphia, whom she said work “tirelessly to apprehend and remove” wanted criminals whose presence in the US posed a threat to the public.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is charged with deporting foreign nationals who have no lawful reason to stay in the United States, including those under removal orders from immigration judges.
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