ERO Harlingen removes Honduran citizen wanted for aggravated human trafficking

HARLINGEN, Texas - Enforcement and Removal Operations Harlingen removed Dora Patricia Flores Canales, a citizen of Honduras with a final order of removal, to Honduras on June 26, with assistance from the ICE assistant attaché for removals in Honduras. Flores is a foreign fugitive wanted by law enforcement authorities in Honduras for aggravated human trafficking in the form of commercial sexual exploitation.

"With this removal, we are sending a clear message: ERO will find, arrest and remove foreign fugitives wanted in their home country while acting within the laws and policies of the United States government," said ERO Harlingen Field Office Director Miguel Vergara. "We will continue to safeguard the American public from those who pose a significant threat to our nation."

On Nov. 1, 2023, Flores entered the United States at or near Eagle Pass without inspection, admission or parole by an immigration officer. On the same date, she U.S. Border Patrol arrested her and served her with a notice and order of expedited removal as an intended immigrant without an immigrant visa.

On Feb. 8, 2024, Border Patrol transferred Flores to ERO San Antonio. The following day, ERO San Antonio transferred Flores to ERO Harlingen at the Laredo Processing Center in Laredo.

On Feb. 26, the ICE assistant attaché for removals in Honduras confirmed the issuance of an arrest warrant for Flores in Honduras for sex trafficking.

On June 26, she was removed to Honduras and turned over to local authorities without incident.

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. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security 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.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's three operational directorates, ERO is 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.