ICE Texas deports fugitive MS-13 member wanted for aggravated homicide

By ICE.gov

SAN ANTONIO — An immigration fugitive and MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, who is wanted in his home country for aggravated homicide, was deported Thursday by officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

Santos Mauricio Urquilla Rodriguez, 25, was flown to El Salvador Oct. 11 on a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations (IAO) Unit. Upon arrival, Urquilla Rodriguez was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC).

According to Salvadoran authorities, Urquilla Rodriguez is the subject of an Interpol Red Notice and is wanted for various violent crimes ranging from aggravated homicide to his membership with a terrorist organization.  Authorities say that Urquilla Rodriguez, along with other alleged MS-13 gang members, lured an associate of theirs to discuss a monetary debt. During this meeting, it is alleged that the gang members used machetes to commit the murder. 

"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will continue to focus its removal resources on violent criminals and other high-priority aliens who pose the greatest threat to our communities," said Daniel Bible, field office director of ERO San Antonio. "This removal ensures that this individual will face justice for the allegations against him."

Urquilla Rodriguez was encountered Jan. 4 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) near Hidalgo, Texas, after he illegally crossed the border into the United States.  On Jan. 5, he was transferred to the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas. On April 9, an immigration judge issued him a final order of removal. On Apr. 23, Urquilla Rodriguez filed an appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). On Sept. 10, the BIA dismissed Urquilla Rodriguez’s case and affirmed the judge’s decision to deport him back to El Salvador.

The ICE ERO El Salvador Office and its Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) taskforce provided information to the local ERO field offices to facilitate this individual’s arrest.

ICE removed or returned 226,119 aliens in fiscal year 2017. The proportion of FY17 removals resulting from ICE arrests increased by nearly ten percent over the previous fiscal year, and the number of ICE interior removals in FY17 increased by over 15,000 from FY16.

ICE is focused on removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges.