A previously deported Mexican man wanted in his native country for aggravated homicide, Servando Camacho-Velazquez (aka El Baron), was removed Tuesday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
El Baron, age 47, was transferred to the custody of representatives from Mexico’s Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) and Mexican immigration officials by ERO officers at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales. Camacho-Velazquez is named in an arrest warrant issued Nov. 4, 2015, by a judge in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Camacho-Velazquez most recently entered ICE custody Feb. 16 after serving 18 months in the Arizona Department of Corrections for a felony drug smuggling conviction. Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Camacho-Velazquez was previously deported in January 2014 through Del Rio, Texas. ICE reinstated his prior removal order, paving the way for Wednesday’s repatriation.
“ICE will not allow fugitives who’ve fled their countries seeking to elude justice to find a safe haven here,” said Enrique Lucero, field office director for ERO Phoenix. “Not only will we continue to aggressively seek out these dangerous criminals, but those found to have active warrants abroad will be turned over to the authorities in their respective countries through our well-coordinated removal efforts.”
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. In fiscal year 2016, ICE conducted 240,255 removals nationwide. Ninety-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.
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. Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE tip line at 1 (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.