Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Houston, Texas, removed an illegal alien Friday wanted for aggravated homicide in El Salvador.
Jose Francisco Quintanilla Granados, a 27-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador, was flown from the George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, to the Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador, on a charter flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit. Upon arrival, he was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police (PNC).
“ICE believes communities are safest when law enforcement collaboratively works together, and ICE is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to the fullest extent they are willing to do so given our shared commitment to public safety,” said Acting ICE Director Tony Pham. “Cases such as this are a clear example that ICE operations focus overwhelmingly on criminal offenders, and any localities that misguidedly limit ICE cooperation do a disservice to their communities by needlessly releasing public safety threats where they are free to reoffend.”
ICE officers first encountered Quintanilla Granados on July 2 at the Harris County (Texas) Jail after he was arrested on local charges. A subsequent records check revealed that he is wanted for aggravated homicide in El Salvador.
On July 3, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) transferred Quintanilla Granados into ICE custody.
On Aug. 25, an immigration judge (IJ) with the Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered Quintanilla Granados removed from the United States to El Salvador.
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. In FY 2019, ERO Houston removed more than 12,620 aliens with criminal convictions and another 1,699 with pending criminal charges.
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.