Homicide Conviction Gets El Salvadoran Man The Boot

Wilfredo Hernandez Pastora has been returned to his homeland by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers in San Antonio, Texas.

News Americas, SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador , Thurs. May 7, 2015: A 39-year-old El Salvador man convicted for homicide here has been returned to his homeland by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers in San Antonio, Texas.

Wilfredo Hernandez Pastora was charged with homicide on Oct. 15 last year and later convicted. He fled to the United States after having been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.

Pastora illegally entered the United States near Pharr, Texas, in December and was placed into removal proceedings after being encountered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. On March 18, an immigration judge found him ineligible for immigration relief and ordered him removed from the United States.

“Hernandez Pastora’s removal should serve as a testament to ERO’s commitment to identifying and removing wanted foreign fugitives,” said San Antonio Field Office Director Enrique Lucero. “We will not allow our country to be used as a safe haven by criminals trying to evade justice.”

Hernandez Pastora is the latest removal to El Salvador as part of ERO’s Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Initiative. The SAFE Initiative is geared toward identifying foreign fugitives who are wanted abroad and removable under U.S. immigration law.