Mexican man wanted for Attempted Murder deported back to Mexico
HOUSTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston, with assistance from ERO Mexico and the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force, removed Cruz Aranda-Garcia, a 38-year-old unlawfully present Mexican national, from the U.S. Jan. 18. Aranda-Garcia was wanted in Mexico for attempted homicide.
ICE deportation officers transported Aranda-Garcia from the Montgomery Processing Center (MPC) in Conroe, Texas, to the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo. Upon arrival, he was transferred into the custody of Mexican law enforcement authorities.
"Aggressively pursuing foreign fugitives and criminal noncitizens who present a threat to public safety is a top priority for ERO Houston," said ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. "By apprehending and removing dangerous foreign fugitives like this individual who was not only wanted for attempted murder in Mexico, but had also been convicted of a violent felony in the U.S., we are able to bolster public safety in our local communities and fulfill our critical mission to enforce our nation’s immigration laws."
Aranda-Garcia first illegally entered the United States on Nov. 11, 2003, near Brownsville, Texas. He was immediately apprehended by the U.S. Border Patrol and voluntarily returned to Mexico. On Nov. 29, 2019, Aranda-Garcia illegally reentered the U.S. near Laredo, Texas. That same day, he was apprehended by Border Patrol officers near Cotulla, Texas, and transferred into the custody of the Harris County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office under a criminal warrant for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE
On May 7, 2021, the 351st Harris County District Court convicted Aranda-Garcia of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and he was sentenced to four years in state prison. On June 4, 2021, ERO Houston lodged an immigration detainer for Aranda-Garcia with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
On Dec. 8, 2023, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice transferred Aranda-Garcia into ERO Houston custody, and he was detained at the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, pending the disposition of his immigration proceedings. On Jan. 4, 2024, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered Aranda-Garcia removed to Mexico. ERO Houston immigration officers carried out that order and removed Aranda-Garcia to Mexico Jan. 18.
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.
For more news and information on how the ICE ERO Houston Field Office carries out its immigration enforcement mission in Southeast Texas follow @EROHouston on Twitter.