Dulles CBP Officers Arrest Fleeing Virginia Murder Suspect Fleeing to El Salvador

STERLING, Va. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers arrested fleeing murder suspect Christofer Antonio Argueta Ramirez at Washington Dulles International Airport on Sunday morning.

Argueta Ramirez, 19, of Woodbridge, Va., is wanted in Prince William County, Va., for homicide murder. Argueta Ramirez is a U.S. citizen.

CBP officers noticed that Argueta Ramirez had purchased a one-way ticket on an El Salvador-bound flight that was departing from Dulles airport around 1:30 a.m. Officers encountered Argueta Ramirez at the departure gate, verified Argueta Ramirez's identity, took him into custody, and escorted him back to CBP's inspection station.

CBP officers turned Argueta Ramirez over to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police officers.

Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.

"Customs and Border Protection officers encounter all types of travelers arriving to and departing from the United States, including travelers wanted for allegedly committing seriously heinous offenses," said Marc E. Calixte, CBP's Area Port Director for the Area Port of Washington, D.C. "CBP continues to work with our law enforcement partners to help capture dangerous fugitives and to return them to face justice."

On a typical day last year, CBP processed an average of more than one million arriving travelers every day at our nation's airports, seaports, and land border crossings, and on average arrested 44 wanted persons every day. See what else CBP accomplished during "A Typical Day" in 2023.

CBP's border security mission is led at our nation's Ports of Entry by CBP officers and agriculture specialists from the Office of Field Operations. CBP screens international travelers and cargo and searches for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, invasive weeds and pests, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation's safety and economic vitality.

Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP's Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos, and CBP's Office of Field Operations on Instagram at @cbpfieldops.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.