ERO Philadelphia removes Peruvian noncitizen

PHILADELPHIA - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia removed Jorge Chavez Montoya, a citizen of Peru with a final order of removal, from the United States to Peru on April 18.

"Jorge Chavez Montoya is a prime example of the type of noncitizens that ERO targets; a convicted felon," said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley. "The removal of noncitizens who pose a threat to the American public remains the primary objective of ERO while we continue to the fight against international drug smuggling."

The Drug Enforcement Administration arrested Chavez in Davie, Florida, for trafficking cocaine on May 12, 1995. On June 7, 1995, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted him release on a surety bond. He failed to appear for criminal proceedings before the court on April 12, 1996. On Jan. 23, 1997, the court issued an arrest warrant for him.

In 2006, Peruvian authorities arrested Chavez for trafficking in cocaine and sentenced him to 11 years of imprisonment.

The U.S. Marshals Service extradited Chavez from Peru to the United States at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, on Nov. 5, 2015. On the same date, U.S. Customs and Border Protection paroled Chavez into the United States for criminal prosecution. He was convicted on Nov. 21, 2016, of conspiracy to import cocaine and sentenced to 121 months of incarceration.

On March 17, 2017, ERO Philadelphia encountered Chavez at Federal Correctional Institution Allenwood in Allenwood and lodged an immigration detainer-notice of action against him. Later that month, ERO Philadelphia served Chavez a notice and order of expedited removal charging inadmissibility pursuant to Section 212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. ERO Philadelphia arrested Chavez at the correctional institution and transferred him to the Clinton County Correctional Facility in McElhattan on April 4, 2024, pending his removal to Peru.

As one of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) 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, at @EROPhiladelphia.