Agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) have deported a fugitive alien wanted in Mexico for murder. The man reportedly fled to the United States to avoid prosecution.
Jose De Jesus Barajas-Lopez, 30, was turned over to Mexican authorities at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in California on November 9, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from ICE officials. Officials with Mexico’s Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) and Mexican immigration officials took custody of Barajas-Lopez as he was deported.
Barajas-Lopez was wanted on an outstanding warrant in Mexico in connection to the murder of a man in Tecomán, Colima, in 2013. He reportedly fatally wounded the man by shooting him multiple times in the chest, ICE officials stated. The shooting arose from an argument near a neighborhood park.
“Protecting the American people from violent criminals is our top priority. We did that today by removing another foreign fugitive trying to evade justice by fleeing to the U.S.,” Acting Field Office Director for ERO in Seattle Bryan Wilcox said in a written statement. “The ongoing cooperation between U.S. law enforcement and our counterparts in Mexico is a testament to our commitment to hold these fugitives accountable for their actions.”
The fugitive was arrested on October 16 in Othello, Washington, by U.S. Border Patrol agents. They were tipped off to the warrant by FBI officials. He was turned over to ICE officials and scheduled for deportation proceedings. A removal hearing was held and the immigration judge ordered his removal.
ICE ERO agents work closely with law enforcement officials in other nations to help rid the streets of America of foreign fugitives.
“Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder,” ICE officials stated. “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.”
Breitbart Texas reported in September that ICE officials turned over a three-time previously deported criminal alien from Mexico that was wanted for murder in his home country. The Mexican national was wanted in his home country for a vicious homicide where he bludgeoned an elderly woman to death in her home with a hammer.
Elmer Tinoco-Eutimio, 22, was first deported to Mexico April 8, 2013, from Laredo, Texas, after U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Border Patrol agents issued him an expedited removal order, ICE reported, she reported. The Mexican national illegally re-entered the United States six weeks later and was arrested by Border Patrol agents working outside of Eagle Pass, Texas. A U.S. Magistrate in Del Rio, Texas convicted him of illegal entry on May 30, 2013 and sentenced him to serve 30 days in jail. He was promptly deported after completing his sentence. Felony re-entry is punishable by imprisonment of up to 20 years if convicted.
President-Elect Donald Trump has pledged to make the removal of criminal illegal aliens a priority for his administration. He re-affirmed this commitment during a CBS 60 Minutes interview last weekend.
“What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably 2 million, it could be even 3 million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate,” President-Elect Trump said in the interview “But we’re getting them out of our country, they’re here illegally.”
Despite Trump’s statement about deporting as many as 3 million criminal aliens, CBS distorted his comments in their headline and lede by removing the criminality aspect of these immigrants. The news outlet stated, “he said in an interview Sunday that he plans to immediately deport approximately 2 to 3 million undocumented immigrants.” He did not say undocumented immigrants. The President-Elect said he would deport criminals – gang members, people with criminal records, and drug dealers.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.