After being apprehended in New Jersey, Miguel Angel Hernandez Moreno, a Colombian national who had previously escaped from jail in his native country, was recently deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Six years into a 22-year homicide sentence, Moreno had left Colombia in September 2017 while on a 72-hour jail release.
Although the specifics of his admission into the United States are still unknown, it was established that he did so unlawfully. Up until the end of the year, Moreno remained undetected, but on December 18 of last year, he was charged with making terrorist threats in Jersey City. Local officials freed him before ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) could issue a detainer, despite the charges. Authorities in Hudson County subsequently stated, though, that they were unable to free him since they had never actually taken him into custody on these accusations.
Moreno’s next known location was in New York City, when on December 27, he was captured in Queens by ERO Newark officers. An immigration judge ordered his deportation in January after he was apprehended, and this month, ICE ERO Philadelphia carried out his deportation.
The commitment of ERO Philadelphia officers to capturing and expelling wanted individuals who enter the country unlawfully and endanger the public is highlighted by Camilla Wamsley, Director of the ERO Philadelphia Field Office. The continued difficulties and complexity involved in handling fugitives who seek asylum in the United States after escaping prosecution in their native countries are brought to light by this deportation attempt.