ICE Chicago Deports 77 Illegal Border Crossers

CHICAGO, Illinois (ICE) -- Javier Mesa-Rios, 33, convicted of shooting a man to death during a robbery attempt in 1995, was one of 77 Mexican nationals deported last Friday by ICE.

Half of those removed, 38, had criminal convictions for violations ranging from murder and sexual assault, to burglary and drug possession. The large number of removals in one week reflects a national trend of increased deportations as ICE pursues its objective of restoring integrity to the nation’s immigration system.

Mesa-Rios was convicted in Cook County, Illinois in 1997 on charges of first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery. Mesa-Rios shot and killed a man during an attempted robbery. He was sentenced to 20 years on the murder charge and five years on the attempted armed robbery charge.

Mesa-Rios, who illegally entered the U.S. by crossing the southwest border just a month before committing the murder, was released from prison July 13 and turned over to ICE for deportation.

ICE’s Chicago Office deports aliens to Mexico on a weekly Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) flight that makes stops in Chicago and Kansas City.

“A priority for ICE is to get criminals off our streets and keep America secure,” said ICE Field Office Director Debbie Achim, who leads the ICE Detention and Removal Operations Office in Chicago. “We are bringing to bear the full force of our authority to locate and remove these criminals from the U.S.”

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Deported Alien Gets 12 Years for
Repeat Re-Entry Into U.S.

AUSTIN, Texas (ICE) -- An illegal alien who repeatedly re-entered the United States after being deported has been sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Federal District Court Judge Sam Sparks sentenced Francisco Quevado-Hernandez, 38, July 19 after Quevado-Hernandez was convicted for illegally re-entering the United States five times after his original deportation in August 1997.

ICE agents found Quevado-Hernandez at the Travis County (Texas) Jail. ICE agents routinely coordinate with other law enforcement agencies and check prison populations to locate criminal aliens. Quevado-Hernandez has a criminal record ranging from resisting arrest to aggravated assault on a peace officer.

“This 12-year prison sentence demonstrates that those who habitually violate our nation’s immigration laws will be vigorously prosecuted,” said Alonzo Pena, ICE’s Special Agent-in-Charge for the San Antonio Office of Investigations. “ICE is committed to restoring integrity to our nation’s immigration system.”