ERO El Paso removes undocumented noncitizen wanted for rape in Mexico

EL PASO, Texas - Deportation officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations El Paso removed a Mexican national Nov. 14 with a final order of removal to Mexico wanted for rape in his home country.

ERO officers turned Jose Luis Lopez-Hernandez, 45, over to Mexican authorities at the international boundary at the top of the Stanton Street Bridge in downtown El Paso.

Lopez-Hernandez unlawfully entered the United States Oct. 19 near Santa Teresa, New Mexico, which is where U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered and arrested him.

Border Patrol agents transferred him to the custody of ICE Oct. 23 and he was detained pending removal to Mexico via the Interior Repatriation Initiative.

"Public safety will always be a priority for this office, and we will continue to work with our Mexican counterparts to remove dangerous criminals from our community " said Mary De Anda-Ybarra, field office director of ERO El Paso. "This foreign fugitive fled his home country to avoid prosecution, but he's now back where he can face justice."

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR is a separate entity from DHS and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

ERO is one of ICE's three operational directorates and the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO's mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency's detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO's workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ICE's mission to increase public safety in our El Paso communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROElPaso.