ICE Expels Accused Mexican Fraudster From US After More Than Six Illegal Entries
Trevor Schakohl on February 9, 2023
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) El Paso deported a fugitive to Mexico who had illegally entered the U.S. on more than six occasions, the agency announced Tuesday.
Misael Estrada-Virgin, 37 was transferred to Mexican authorities on Feb. 1 at El Paso’s Stanton Street Bridge border crossing, having been captured in Vancouver, Washington, in December and facing a Mexican court’s arrest warrant for fraud, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) press release. Estrada-Virgin was previously returned to Mexico on six separate occasions between 2004 and 2023 following illegal entries into the U.S.
U.S. courts convicted Estrada-Virgin on drug charges in 2004 and 2011, handing him two-year, 18-month and 21-month prison sentences, the press release said. He also received a time-served sentence for unlawful entry in 2012.
“ICE will continue to collaborate closely with our international law enforcement partners to ensure criminals who flee their countries of origin to escape responsibility for their actions, are held accountable,” ERO El Paso Field Office Director Mary De Anda said, according to the release. “The message is clear: Criminals will not find sanctuary in our communities.”
The Biden administration has overseen far fewer ICE deportations than its predecessor. ERO performed more than 267,000 removals in fiscal year 2019, falling to 59,011 in fiscal year 2021 before rising to 72,177 during fiscal year 2022, based on ICE data.
CBP encounters nationwide spiked by roughly 41% in fiscal year 2022 compared to fiscal year 2021, statistics show.
President Joe Biden argued in his Tuesday State of the Union Address that he is successfully reducing illegal immigration, yet Mexico has reportedly been hit with significant migrant surges. A recently-announced Biden administration plan allows 30,000 Venezuelan, Cuban, Nicaraguans and Haitian migrants to legally enter the U.S. for two years through parole with sponsorship and lets migrants who would otherwise face Title 42 expulsion use the CBP One app to set up an appointment at a port of entry to enter the U.S.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact [email protected].