ICE Deports HV Senior Citizen Accused Of Murder In Guatemala

SPRING VALLEY, NY — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers report the removal Wednesday of a Spring Valley senior citizen who was wanted in his home country on charges of homicide. They said Rigoberto Gonzalez-Aragon, 66, was returned to Guatemala City, via an ICE Air Operations charter flight, and transferred to the custody of Guatemalan law enforcement authorities.

The case has been active since March.

On March 9, Enforcement and Removal Operations New York got a lead from the ICE Assistant Attaché for Removals in Guatemala that Gonzalez-Aragon was wanted for homicide and living in the New York City metropolitan area, ICE officials said. He had previously entered the country unlawfully at an unknown date and time.

He was arrested June 8 in Spring Valley and charged with immigration violations.

In ICE custody since his June arrest, Gonzalez-Aragon was ordered removed by an immigration judge in September, paving the way for his deportation Oct. 25.

Since Oct. 1, 2009, ERO has removed more than 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States who were sought in their native countries for serious crimes, including kidnapping, rape and murder. In fiscal year 2016, ICE conducted 240,255 removals nationwide. Ninety-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.

ICE is focused on removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, and also individuals who have violated immigration laws, including immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal judges and those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed.