ICE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
10/23/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/23/2023 15:07
Salvadoran citizen wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and ties to terrorist organizations removed from US
PHILADELPHIA - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia removed Maria Bernarda Moran Martinez, a citizen of El Salvador with a final removal order, to El Salvador on Oct. 20. Moran is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and involvement in terrorist organizations.
"Moran's removal should serve as a warning to any individuals seeking to find refuge from their home countries laws in the U.S.," said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley. "ERO will vigorously pursue any criminal noncitizens within the U.S. borders."
Moran entered the United States at the Hidalgo Port of Entry in Texas on Nov. 4, 2016, without proper documentation. On Nov. 5, 2016, U.S. Customs and Border Protection served Moran with a notice to appear charging inadmissibility under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
ERO Baltimore arrested Moran in Baltimore, Maryland, on Nov. 16, 2022, and she was detained at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. A Department of Justice (DOJ) immigration judge in Baltimore, Maryland, issued her a removal order on April 14, 2023. Moran filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals on May 15, 2023. The appeal was later dismissed rendering the removal order administratively final.
ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.
As one of ICE's three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO's mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency's detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO's workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.
Members of the public can report crimes or suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing ICE's online tip form.
Learn more about ERO's mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROPhiladelphia.