NEW YORK: A Mexican national, who is wanted in his native country for aggravated rape, was handed over to Mexican law enforcement officials by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thursday.
Tiburicio Juarez Chavez, 28, formerly of Encinitas, was transferred by San Diego-based officers from the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Special Response Team to the custody of representatives from Mexican Procuraduria General de la Republica (PGR) and Mexican immigration officials at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
Juarez is charged in an arrest warrant issued in June with an aggravated rape committed in Oaxaca, Mexico, in May 2013.
According to Mexican authorities, on Jan. 21, 2011, Juarez arrived at the victim’s house carrying a rifle. Juarez refused to leave the home, forced his way in, and threatened to kill the victim.
Chavez then pushed the victim on to a bed and raped her. When neighbors heard the struggle, they rushed to the victim’s home, but Juarez fled the scene.
On Aug. 30, after receiving information from Interpol that Juarez was wanted in Mexico for aggravated rape, ERO officers in San Diego lodged an immigration detainer with the San Diego County Jail where Juarez was detained. According to immigration records, Juarez was issued an expedited removal order on April 11, 2013 by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
He illegally re-entered the U.S. April 30, 2013.
On Sept. 2, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department released Juarez to ICE. ERO reinstated his prior removal order, paving the way for his repatriation to Mexico Thursday.
“This was an unconscionable, cowardly act and we’ve worked tirelessly with our law enforcement partners here and in Mexico to ensure justice is served,” said ICE Field Office Director Gregory J. Archambeault. “Violent criminals who believe they can evade justice by fleeing to the U.S. should be on notice — they will find no refuge here.”
Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,150 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. ERO works with the ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Office of International Operations, foreign consular offices in the United States, and Interpol to identify foreign fugitives illegally present in the United States.
