Two RSI Employees were arrested Thursday in connection with identity theft cases in California and Texas.
Antonio Tornez Nava, 25, Gastonia, and Maria Remedios Rosaldo Carrasco, 42, Lincolnton, are charged with one count each of felony identity theft.
Detective Andrew Alvarado said that Nava was using the identification of Eduardo Chacon, a Los Angeles firefighter who lost his wallet in 2001.
Chacon told authorities that he wasn’t aware that someone was using his identity until he was contacted by the IRS about why he didn’t report all of his income.
Carrasco was using the identity of Delia Zepeda of Harlingen, Texas.
Zepeda, whose purse was stolen during a vehicle break-in, was also made aware that someone had used her identity when she was contacted by the IRS.
Alvarado said both suspects are illegal immigrants and were employed at RSI Plant No. 2 in the Lincoln County Industrial Park.
Nava had been working at RSI for three years under his “assumed name” while Carrasco had worked at the plant for five years.
The suspects are held at the Harven A. Crouse Detention Center each under $20,000 bonds.
Detectives Sally Dellinger, Robin Powell and 1st Sgt. Lee Keller assisted with the investigation and arrests.
Showing posts with label Harlingen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harlingen. Show all posts
September 8, 2008
September 3, 2008
Authorities seize estimated $8.3 million in cocaine
Sean Gaffney
HIDALGO -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 260 pounds of cocaine found late Sunday night in a hidden compartment on a commercial bus, the agency announced in a news release Wednesday.
HIDALGO -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 260 pounds of cocaine found late Sunday night in a hidden compartment on a commercial bus, the agency announced in a news release Wednesday.
Agents have refused to identify the bus company or the 43-year-old driver, a Harlingen resident, who was attempting to cross the bus into the United States about 11:05 p.m. Sunday. Agents fined the driver $10,000 but did not arrest the person.
A drug-detection dog discovered the cocaine, worth an estimated $8.3 million on the street, as agents conducted a secondary inspection of the bus, according to the news release.
"This is the largest cocaine seizure (CBP has) found hidden in a commercial bus," said Hector A. Mancha, the agency's Hidalgo-Pharr port director, in the news release.
A spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency is working to unravel the smuggling operation and could not provide more information about the bus or the driver.
According to a 16-count federal indictment unsealed in April, five owners and managers of a commercial bus company in Starr County rigged their buses to smuggle drugs from Mexico to northern destinations in the United States and transport cash back south into Mexico.
During stops between 2001 and 2006, investigators found drugs stashed under the buses' walkways and behind mirrors in their lavatories, as well as in the vehicles' luggage compartments.
Each time the bus company was busted, it closed and reopened under a different name, frustrating authorities trying to track the buses' movement, authorities said at the time.
The case is still in U.S. District Court in Houston. The company operated under names such as Transtar, Neptune Tours, Los Primos, USAMex and Ameri-Mex.
July 18, 2008
Honduran man rescued from Rio Grande
Friday, July 18, 2008 at 8:09 a.m.
Border Patrol agents rescued a Honduran man who nearly drowned as he tried to swim across the Rio Grande on Thursday.
Authorities said the rescue occured south of Mission.
Border Patrol agents on river patrol spotted the Honduran man struggling in the water.
Agents were able to pull the man into the boat and take him ashore for medical treatment.
The man remains in custody for immigration processing.
Border Patrol agents rescued a Honduran man who nearly drowned as he tried to swim across the Rio Grande on Thursday.
Authorities said the rescue occured south of Mission.
Border Patrol agents on river patrol spotted the Honduran man struggling in the water.
Agents were able to pull the man into the boat and take him ashore for medical treatment.
The man remains in custody for immigration processing.
July 9, 2008
Authorities Investigating Holiday Bust
Wednesday , July 09, 2008 Posted: 04:29 PM
Over $250,000 found inside care
HARLINGEN - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents continue to work leads to locate and arrest the person or persons responsible for concealing approximately $276,880.00 in U.S. currency inside a Honda truck.
On July 4, a DPS Trooper in Raymondville initiated a vehicle traffic stop along U.S. Highway 77. According to DPS, a consent search of the vehicle revealed the money hidden inside the pick-up truck. The driver was questioned but was not charged.
ICE has launched an investigation into bulk cash smuggling. The investigation into this case is ongoing.
Over $250,000 found inside care
HARLINGEN - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents continue to work leads to locate and arrest the person or persons responsible for concealing approximately $276,880.00 in U.S. currency inside a Honda truck.
On July 4, a DPS Trooper in Raymondville initiated a vehicle traffic stop along U.S. Highway 77. According to DPS, a consent search of the vehicle revealed the money hidden inside the pick-up truck. The driver was questioned but was not charged.
ICE has launched an investigation into bulk cash smuggling. The investigation into this case is ongoing.
July 7, 2008
Garza remains in custody as Agado family grieves
Christina Agado
July 7, 2008 - 9:24PM
By EDWINA P. GARZA, Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN - Leaving the San Benito Funeral Home, Rick Agado said his family still felt numb from the death of their daughter Christina Agado.
"We're holding on," he said.
Christina Agado, a 22-year-old nurse assistant at Valley Baptist Medical Center, died early Sunday, days after she was struck while crossing Business 77 Sunshine Strip on June 28.
A funeral Mass for Agado will be celebrated today at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Harlingen at 10 a.m.
Agado underwent brain surgery last week and was in a drug-induced coma as doctors attempted to slow her brain activity to reduce swelling, Rick Agado said on Sunday.
After speaking with local news media to seek help from the public for information on the hit-and-run, Rick Agado said the family appreciated the support from the community.
"We're going to spend the next few days with family," he said Monday.
Mario Alberto Garza, 18, is being held at the Cameron County Jail in Olmito charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony.
Police said Garza, of San Benito, confessed to driving the vehicle that struck Agado.
Garza is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
As of Monday, Harlingen police said the charge against Garza had not been upgraded following Agado's death.
"We are keeping close contact with the District Attorney's Office," said Harlingen Police spokeswoman Sgt. Miryam Anderson when asked if charges would be upgraded.
Should there be any change, Anderson said HPD would coordinate with the District Attorney's Office.
DA's spokesman Jason Moody said it's too early to determine if the charge will be upgraded.
"The case is not in our office yet," Moody added.
A third-degree felony is punishable by a maximum jail sentence of 10 years and no less than two years and also includes a fine of up to $10,000.
San Benito police said the vehicle, a white Oldsmobile Intrigue, had been involved in another accident where the car struck a fence and was driven away from the scene.
The June 28 hit-and-run occurred when the Oldsmobile Intrigue struck Agado as she crossed Business 77 Sunshine Strip between the China Star parking lot and Rack Daddy's, Rick Agado said in an earlier interview.
The collision threw Agado into the air and she landed on her head, her father previously said.
On the Internet, Agado's family and friends used MySpace to express their grief.
Friends posted images of Agado as their user photo and placed messages about Agado in their profile headlines.
"She is our angel now," reads the page of Agado's sister Amanda Barrera from Farmington, New Mexico.
Along with a slide show of photographs, Michelle, 24, of Harlingen wrote a blog entry about Agado's death.
"Christina would've loved to know the big deal that everyone was making about her," she wrote.
The funeral Mass will be followed by a burial service at Mont Meta Memorial Park in San Benito.
July 7, 2008 - 9:24PM
By EDWINA P. GARZA, Valley Morning Star
HARLINGEN - Leaving the San Benito Funeral Home, Rick Agado said his family still felt numb from the death of their daughter Christina Agado.
"We're holding on," he said.
Christina Agado, a 22-year-old nurse assistant at Valley Baptist Medical Center, died early Sunday, days after she was struck while crossing Business 77 Sunshine Strip on June 28.
A funeral Mass for Agado will be celebrated today at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Harlingen at 10 a.m.
Agado underwent brain surgery last week and was in a drug-induced coma as doctors attempted to slow her brain activity to reduce swelling, Rick Agado said on Sunday.
After speaking with local news media to seek help from the public for information on the hit-and-run, Rick Agado said the family appreciated the support from the community.
"We're going to spend the next few days with family," he said Monday.
Mario Alberto Garza, 18, is being held at the Cameron County Jail in Olmito charged with failure to stop and render aid, a third-degree felony.
Police said Garza, of San Benito, confessed to driving the vehicle that struck Agado.
Garza is being held in lieu of a $25,000 bond.
As of Monday, Harlingen police said the charge against Garza had not been upgraded following Agado's death.
"We are keeping close contact with the District Attorney's Office," said Harlingen Police spokeswoman Sgt. Miryam Anderson when asked if charges would be upgraded.
Should there be any change, Anderson said HPD would coordinate with the District Attorney's Office.
DA's spokesman Jason Moody said it's too early to determine if the charge will be upgraded.
"The case is not in our office yet," Moody added.
A third-degree felony is punishable by a maximum jail sentence of 10 years and no less than two years and also includes a fine of up to $10,000.
San Benito police said the vehicle, a white Oldsmobile Intrigue, had been involved in another accident where the car struck a fence and was driven away from the scene.
The June 28 hit-and-run occurred when the Oldsmobile Intrigue struck Agado as she crossed Business 77 Sunshine Strip between the China Star parking lot and Rack Daddy's, Rick Agado said in an earlier interview.
The collision threw Agado into the air and she landed on her head, her father previously said.
On the Internet, Agado's family and friends used MySpace to express their grief.
Friends posted images of Agado as their user photo and placed messages about Agado in their profile headlines.
"She is our angel now," reads the page of Agado's sister Amanda Barrera from Farmington, New Mexico.
Along with a slide show of photographs, Michelle, 24, of Harlingen wrote a blog entry about Agado's death.
"Christina would've loved to know the big deal that everyone was making about her," she wrote.
The funeral Mass will be followed by a burial service at Mont Meta Memorial Park in San Benito.
July 6, 2008
Hit & Run Victim Dies
Hit & Run Victim Dies
Sunday , July 06, 2008 Posted: 10:15 PM
Hit-and-run Victim Dies
HARLINGEN - The family of 22-year-old Christina Agado says she lost her fight to stay alive Saturday night.
She had been hospitalized following a hit-and-run accident in Harlingen a week ago. The suspect, 18-year-old Mario Alberto Garza, is in the Cameron County Jail.
He's been charged with failure to stop and render aid, which is a third-degree felony.
Investigators on the case tell NEWSCHANNEL 5 for now, it doesn't appear he'll face a murder charge, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Garza is an illegal immigrant, so he will not be allowed to bond out.
Officials tell us if he is convicted of the crimes, he will be deported after he serves his sentence.
The victim's father Rick Agado e-mailed a statement to NEWSCHANNEL 5 following the early newscast on Sunday.
He wrote, "We were faced with the difficult decision of letting Christina go. She's no longer feeling pain and is with the Lord. No words can explain how grateful we are to hospital doctors and nurses who allowed us to keep Christina a while longer. We wish to thank family, friends, even strangers who have prayed for Christina and continue to wish us best. Now we leave Christina's case in the hands of justice and the Lord."
A rosary for Christina Agado will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the San Benito Funeral Home, located at the corner of Business 77 and Oscar Williams Road.
The funeral is set for Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Mont Meta Cemetery in San Benito.
Sunday , July 06, 2008 Posted: 10:15 PM
Hit-and-run Victim Dies
HARLINGEN - The family of 22-year-old Christina Agado says she lost her fight to stay alive Saturday night.
She had been hospitalized following a hit-and-run accident in Harlingen a week ago. The suspect, 18-year-old Mario Alberto Garza, is in the Cameron County Jail.
He's been charged with failure to stop and render aid, which is a third-degree felony.
Investigators on the case tell NEWSCHANNEL 5 for now, it doesn't appear he'll face a murder charge, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Garza is an illegal immigrant, so he will not be allowed to bond out.
Officials tell us if he is convicted of the crimes, he will be deported after he serves his sentence.
The victim's father Rick Agado e-mailed a statement to NEWSCHANNEL 5 following the early newscast on Sunday.
He wrote, "We were faced with the difficult decision of letting Christina go. She's no longer feeling pain and is with the Lord. No words can explain how grateful we are to hospital doctors and nurses who allowed us to keep Christina a while longer. We wish to thank family, friends, even strangers who have prayed for Christina and continue to wish us best. Now we leave Christina's case in the hands of justice and the Lord."
A rosary for Christina Agado will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the San Benito Funeral Home, located at the corner of Business 77 and Oscar Williams Road.
The funeral is set for Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Mont Meta Cemetery in San Benito.
Hit & Run Victim Dies
Sunday , July 06, 2008 Posted: 10:15 PM
HARLINGEN - The family of 22-year-old Christina Agado says she lost her fight to stay alive Saturday night.
She had been hospitalized following a hit-and-run accident in Harlingen a week ago. The suspect, 18-year-old Mario Alberto Garza, is in the Cameron County Jail.
He's been charged with failure to stop and render aid, which is a third-degree felony.
Investigators on the case tell NEWSCHANNEL 5 for now, it doesn't appear he'll face a murder charge, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Garza is an illegal immigrant, so he will not be allowed to bond out.
Officials tell us if he is convicted of the crimes, he will be deported after he serves his sentence.
The victim's father Rick Agado e-mailed a statement to NEWSCHANNEL 5 following the early newscast on Sunday.
He wrote, "We were faced with the difficult decision of letting Christina go. She's no longer feeling pain and is with the Lord. No words can explain how grateful we are to hospital doctors and nurses who allowed us to keep Christina a while longer. We wish to thank family, friends, even strangers who have prayed for Christina and continue to wish us best. Now we leave Christina's case in the hands of justice and the Lord."
A rosary for Christina Agado will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the San Benito Funeral Home, located at the corner of Business 77 and Oscar Williams Road.
The funeral is set for Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Mont Meta Cemetery in San Benito.
HARLINGEN - The family of 22-year-old Christina Agado says she lost her fight to stay alive Saturday night.
She had been hospitalized following a hit-and-run accident in Harlingen a week ago. The suspect, 18-year-old Mario Alberto Garza, is in the Cameron County Jail.
He's been charged with failure to stop and render aid, which is a third-degree felony.
Investigators on the case tell NEWSCHANNEL 5 for now, it doesn't appear he'll face a murder charge, but the investigation is still ongoing.
Garza is an illegal immigrant, so he will not be allowed to bond out.
Officials tell us if he is convicted of the crimes, he will be deported after he serves his sentence.
The victim's father Rick Agado e-mailed a statement to NEWSCHANNEL 5 following the early newscast on Sunday.
He wrote, "We were faced with the difficult decision of letting Christina go. She's no longer feeling pain and is with the Lord. No words can explain how grateful we are to hospital doctors and nurses who allowed us to keep Christina a while longer. We wish to thank family, friends, even strangers who have prayed for Christina and continue to wish us best. Now we leave Christina's case in the hands of justice and the Lord."
A rosary for Christina Agado will be held Monday at 7 p.m. at the San Benito Funeral Home, located at the corner of Business 77 and Oscar Williams Road.
The funeral is set for Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Mont Meta Cemetery in San Benito.
July 4, 2008
Man Arrested in Hit-and-Run Case
Friday , July 04, 2008 Posted: 10:12 PM
SAN BENITO - San Benito police are speaking to a person of interest possibly connected to a hit-and-run accident.
Investigators suspect the individual may have key information to help track down the driver who hit 22-year-old Christina Agado and then fled.
Agado has been in an induced coma at Valley Baptist Medical Center as she recovers. Investigators say she was struck by a driver Sunday night on Business 77 as she attempted to cross the street.
Police have been on the lookout for a driver responsible since then
SAN BENITO - San Benito police are speaking to a person of interest possibly connected to a hit-and-run accident.
Investigators suspect the individual may have key information to help track down the driver who hit 22-year-old Christina Agado and then fled.
Agado has been in an induced coma at Valley Baptist Medical Center as she recovers. Investigators say she was struck by a driver Sunday night on Business 77 as she attempted to cross the street.
Police have been on the lookout for a driver responsible since then
June 13, 2008
Border Patrol picks up Nicaraguan national wanted for homicide
Border Patrol picks up Nicaraguan national wanted for homicide
June 12, 2008 - 1:42PM
Sean Gaffney
ALTON -- A man wanted for homicide in Miami was found hiding in a house in Alton late Tuesday evening, according to authorities.
U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered Orlando Martinez, 39, hiding in a house near the intersection of 4 Mile Line and Trosper Road after they received a tip that several illegal immigrants were staying at that location.
The 17 people found in the house were illegal immigrants from Mexico and other Central American countries, said Dan Doty, a local spokesman for the Border Patrol.
The immigrants were taken to the agency's McAllen station for processing. Agents performing a record check there discovered that Martinez, a Nicaraguan national, was wanted for homicide by the Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida, Doty said.
He refused to release the name of the wanted man, but records from the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office indicate Martinez is waiting extradition to Florida.
This is at least the second time in recent months that federal agents have discovered a foreign fugitive in the Valley. In late January, agents at the Sarita checkpoint, about 70 miles north of Harlingen, nabbed Pol Brennan, a fugitive wanted by British authorities.
Brennan, who fled a Northern Irish prison in an infamous escape 24 years ago, was arrested after a background check using an international fingerprint system identified him as a fugitive.
British authorities said they weren't actively pursuing Brennan, and he remains in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
www.themonitor.com
June 12, 2008 - 1:42PM
Sean Gaffney
ALTON -- A man wanted for homicide in Miami was found hiding in a house in Alton late Tuesday evening, according to authorities.
U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered Orlando Martinez, 39, hiding in a house near the intersection of 4 Mile Line and Trosper Road after they received a tip that several illegal immigrants were staying at that location.
The 17 people found in the house were illegal immigrants from Mexico and other Central American countries, said Dan Doty, a local spokesman for the Border Patrol.
The immigrants were taken to the agency's McAllen station for processing. Agents performing a record check there discovered that Martinez, a Nicaraguan national, was wanted for homicide by the Miami-Dade Police Department in Florida, Doty said.
He refused to release the name of the wanted man, but records from the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office indicate Martinez is waiting extradition to Florida.
This is at least the second time in recent months that federal agents have discovered a foreign fugitive in the Valley. In late January, agents at the Sarita checkpoint, about 70 miles north of Harlingen, nabbed Pol Brennan, a fugitive wanted by British authorities.
Brennan, who fled a Northern Irish prison in an infamous escape 24 years ago, was arrested after a background check using an international fingerprint system identified him as a fugitive.
British authorities said they weren't actively pursuing Brennan, and he remains in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
www.themonitor.com
June 10, 2008
Border Patrol agent accused of smuggling cocaine, immigrant
Border Patrol agent accused of smuggling cocaine, immigrant
June 9, 2008 - 12:47PM
Jeremy Roebuck
McALLEN - A U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of helping drug and human smugglers made his first appearance in federal court Monday.
Federal authorities arrested Reynaldo Zuniga, 34, of Harlingen, on Friday after he allegedly helped two Mexican nationals sneak a kilogram of cocaine across the Rio Grande.
According to a criminal complaint filed in their case, Zuniga picked up accused smuggler Jose Luis "El Bebe" Arteaga Echazarrete, 24, of Reynosa, on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. Zuniga then drove Arteaga in his official vehicle to the Whataburger in Hidalgo, just past the customs checkpoints.
From there, Arteaga's relative, Luis Alfredo Cruz Hurtado, 29, of Reynosa, drove him to a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pharr.
Zuniga told investigators after his arrest that he accepted $1,200 to sneak Arteaga into the country, the complaint states. But the document does not mention whether Zuniga admitted to knowing about the cocaine.
Investigators believe the agent had made six similar smuggling trips since April.
Zuniga, Arteaga and Cruz remained in custody of U.S. Marshals on Monday pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Their case is the second smuggling investigation in less than a month targeting a local Border Patrol agent.
Agent Ramiro Flores Jr. was arrested May 15, after agents allegedly caught him using his Border Patrol badge to bypass checkpoints at McAllen-Miller International Airport. Once inside, authorities say Flores handed off a bag filled with cocaine to another man waiting in the bathroom before both boarded a plane to Houston.
Local Border Patrol spokesman Dan Doty said agents accused of criminal activity are routinely placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of their cases. But he said he could not specifically speak about Zuniga or Flores' cases.
Zuniga has been a Border Patrol agent for at least seven years, Doty said.
If convicted, he could face up to life in prison and $4 million in fines.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/zuniga_12965___article.html/arteaga_border.html
June 9, 2008 - 12:47PM
Jeremy Roebuck
McALLEN - A U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of helping drug and human smugglers made his first appearance in federal court Monday.
Federal authorities arrested Reynaldo Zuniga, 34, of Harlingen, on Friday after he allegedly helped two Mexican nationals sneak a kilogram of cocaine across the Rio Grande.
According to a criminal complaint filed in their case, Zuniga picked up accused smuggler Jose Luis "El Bebe" Arteaga Echazarrete, 24, of Reynosa, on the banks of the Rio Grande near the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge. Zuniga then drove Arteaga in his official vehicle to the Whataburger in Hidalgo, just past the customs checkpoints.
From there, Arteaga's relative, Luis Alfredo Cruz Hurtado, 29, of Reynosa, drove him to a Wal-Mart parking lot in Pharr.
Zuniga told investigators after his arrest that he accepted $1,200 to sneak Arteaga into the country, the complaint states. But the document does not mention whether Zuniga admitted to knowing about the cocaine.
Investigators believe the agent had made six similar smuggling trips since April.
Zuniga, Arteaga and Cruz remained in custody of U.S. Marshals on Monday pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Their case is the second smuggling investigation in less than a month targeting a local Border Patrol agent.
Agent Ramiro Flores Jr. was arrested May 15, after agents allegedly caught him using his Border Patrol badge to bypass checkpoints at McAllen-Miller International Airport. Once inside, authorities say Flores handed off a bag filled with cocaine to another man waiting in the bathroom before both boarded a plane to Houston.
Local Border Patrol spokesman Dan Doty said agents accused of criminal activity are routinely placed on unpaid administrative leave pending the outcome of their cases. But he said he could not specifically speak about Zuniga or Flores' cases.
Zuniga has been a Border Patrol agent for at least seven years, Doty said.
If convicted, he could face up to life in prison and $4 million in fines.
http://www.themonitor.com/news/zuniga_12965___article.html/arteaga_border.html
June 9, 2008
Feeling the ICE; Federal agents hunting for, arresting immigrant fugitives
Feeling the ICE; Federal agents hunting for, arresting immigrant fugitives
By NICK GEORGIOU, LAREDO MORNING TIMES
06/09/2008
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 1,800 illegal immigrant criminals, fugitives and violators following a month-long effort by Fugitive Operations teams.ICE officials say the slate of arrests reflect a continued and noticeable decrease in the immigrant fugitive population, which is estimated at 573,000.
The agency says that's a decrease of about 60,000 since October 2006.
More than half of those arrested during the May operation were immigration fugitives, or typically people who ignore final deportation orders.
Arrests were made in six states: California, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Texas.
Nina Pruneda, spokeswoman for ICE's San Antonio area of operation, said a Fugitive Operation Team was not deployed to Laredo during the month-long effort, but that "most definitely" the Gateway City will be on the list in the future.
"These type of operations are constantly being put together," she said.
A four-day operation that started May 19 in Austin, San Antonio and the Valley ended with 84 arrests. Those arrested were nationals from El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Peru, Nicaragua, Kenya and Guatemala.
"At one point or another, they try to hide from us, but it's only a matter of time before we catch up to them," Pruneda said.
Five Fugitive Operations teams conducted the effort. Pruneda said each team is composed of about five to eight special agents, depending on the type of target or area.
According to an ICE news release, of those arrested during the four-day operation, 56 had final orders of deportation and 28 were immigration violators who the team encountered during the operation.
"If you ignore a federal immigration judge's deportation order, ICE will find you, arrest you and return you to your home country," Marc J. Moore, field office director of the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in San Antonio, stated in a news release.
Moore oversees most of South Texas, including Laredo, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Harlingen and Brownsville.
Besides being in the country illegally, the agency stated that more than 70 percent of the illegal immigrants who were arrested in the six states had criminal histories.
Though that's not to say ICE turns a blind eye to those who haven't been convicted of a crime, Pruneda said.
Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for ICE, said in a news release these operations are carried out as per removal orders handed down by the country's immigration courts.
"America will always welcome those who wish to enter our country legally, but for those who flaunt our laws, know that you will be removed," Myers said in the news release.
The Fugitive Operations teams prioritize cases based on those who pose a threat to national or community safety, such as sex offenders, suspected gang members and persons convicted of violent crimes, ICE officials said.
The Fugitive Operations Program was created in 2003, the same year ICE, the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, was established.
The program's purpose is to eliminate the nation's backlog of illegal immigrant fugitives.
ICE has markedly increased the numbers of teams it deploys nationwide. In 2005, ICE had 18 Fugitive Operations teams. Today, the agency has 75 teams.
And with recent additional funding, ICE hopes to expand the program by adding 29 teams by the end of September.
The agency states the teams nearly doubled the amount of arrests from about 15,000 in 2006 to more than 30,000 in 2007. According to the ICE Web site, Fugitive Operations teams made about 1,900 arrests in 2003, the agency's first of existence.
Of the 30,000 arrests in 2007, about 4,800 of them occurred in Texas, according to figures provided by Carl Rusnok, spokesman for ICE's Dallas area of operation. However, he said that is not strictly limited to Texas because ICE's Dallas area of operation includes Oklahoma and El Paso's area of operation includes New Mexico.
Rusnok said 13 Fugitive Operations teams are deployed in Texas, including four in San Antonio.
(Nick Georgiou may be reached at 728-2582 or by e-mail at nickg@lmtonline.com)
Laredo Morning Times 2008
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19757632&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6
By NICK GEORGIOU, LAREDO MORNING TIMES
06/09/2008
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 1,800 illegal immigrant criminals, fugitives and violators following a month-long effort by Fugitive Operations teams.ICE officials say the slate of arrests reflect a continued and noticeable decrease in the immigrant fugitive population, which is estimated at 573,000.
The agency says that's a decrease of about 60,000 since October 2006.
More than half of those arrested during the May operation were immigration fugitives, or typically people who ignore final deportation orders.
Arrests were made in six states: California, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee and Texas.
Nina Pruneda, spokeswoman for ICE's San Antonio area of operation, said a Fugitive Operation Team was not deployed to Laredo during the month-long effort, but that "most definitely" the Gateway City will be on the list in the future.
"These type of operations are constantly being put together," she said.
A four-day operation that started May 19 in Austin, San Antonio and the Valley ended with 84 arrests. Those arrested were nationals from El Salvador, Mexico, Honduras, Peru, Nicaragua, Kenya and Guatemala.
"At one point or another, they try to hide from us, but it's only a matter of time before we catch up to them," Pruneda said.
Five Fugitive Operations teams conducted the effort. Pruneda said each team is composed of about five to eight special agents, depending on the type of target or area.
According to an ICE news release, of those arrested during the four-day operation, 56 had final orders of deportation and 28 were immigration violators who the team encountered during the operation.
"If you ignore a federal immigration judge's deportation order, ICE will find you, arrest you and return you to your home country," Marc J. Moore, field office director of the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in San Antonio, stated in a news release.
Moore oversees most of South Texas, including Laredo, San Antonio, Austin, Waco, Harlingen and Brownsville.
Besides being in the country illegally, the agency stated that more than 70 percent of the illegal immigrants who were arrested in the six states had criminal histories.
Though that's not to say ICE turns a blind eye to those who haven't been convicted of a crime, Pruneda said.
Julie L. Myers, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for ICE, said in a news release these operations are carried out as per removal orders handed down by the country's immigration courts.
"America will always welcome those who wish to enter our country legally, but for those who flaunt our laws, know that you will be removed," Myers said in the news release.
The Fugitive Operations teams prioritize cases based on those who pose a threat to national or community safety, such as sex offenders, suspected gang members and persons convicted of violent crimes, ICE officials said.
The Fugitive Operations Program was created in 2003, the same year ICE, the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, was established.
The program's purpose is to eliminate the nation's backlog of illegal immigrant fugitives.
ICE has markedly increased the numbers of teams it deploys nationwide. In 2005, ICE had 18 Fugitive Operations teams. Today, the agency has 75 teams.
And with recent additional funding, ICE hopes to expand the program by adding 29 teams by the end of September.
The agency states the teams nearly doubled the amount of arrests from about 15,000 in 2006 to more than 30,000 in 2007. According to the ICE Web site, Fugitive Operations teams made about 1,900 arrests in 2003, the agency's first of existence.
Of the 30,000 arrests in 2007, about 4,800 of them occurred in Texas, according to figures provided by Carl Rusnok, spokesman for ICE's Dallas area of operation. However, he said that is not strictly limited to Texas because ICE's Dallas area of operation includes Oklahoma and El Paso's area of operation includes New Mexico.
Rusnok said 13 Fugitive Operations teams are deployed in Texas, including four in San Antonio.
(Nick Georgiou may be reached at 728-2582 or by e-mail at nickg@lmtonline.com)
Laredo Morning Times 2008
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19757632&BRD=2290&PAG=461&dept_id=569392&rfi=6
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