September 5, 2007

839 illegal aliens deported from Florida in August
170 criminal aliens among those deported

MIAMI- A 35-year-old national of El Salvador wanted by Interpol for homicide was among the 839 illegal aliens deported in August from Florida by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officers.

Armando Quijada was escorted back to El Salvador on Aug. 14 and turned over to Salvadoran authorities without incident.

Also wanted by Interpol and deported were Orlando Galdamez-Salguero and Ryszard Kowalski. Galdamez-Salguero, 44, was escorted to his native country of Mexico and turned over to Mexican authorities. He too was wanted for homicide. Kowalski, 40, of Poland was wanted by his government for dealing in stolen property.

All of those deported were ordered removed by a federal immigration judge after being found ineligible for any form of immigration relief.

"Those who think that they can commit crimes in their home countries and hide in the United States are mistaken," said Michael Rozos, field office director for the Office of Detention and Removal in Florida. "The law enforcement community is united globally to ensure that those who have broken the law are brought to justice."

Aliens are deported aboard both commercial and government aircraft. The government's aircraft is run by the U.S. Marshal Service, and is called the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS). JPATS is one of the largest transporters of prisoners in the world and handles hundreds of requests every day to move prisoners and criminal aliens nationally and internationally.

Illegal re-entry after deportation is a prosecutable felony offense that carries a possible 25-year prison sentence.

The Office of Detention and Removal (DRO) focuses on promoting public safety and national security by ensuring that all aliens who are subject to deportation are removed from the United States as expeditiously as possible.

Last year, ICE removed more than 197,100 illegal aliens; approximately 45 percent were criminal aliens.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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