One of the “most wanted” fugitives was captured by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement this week, according to an ICE release on Tuesday.
Javier Atlixqueno-Vaquero, a citizen of Mexico, was arrested on Tuesday night after ICE agents saw him leaving his residence in New Jersey. He’s a convicted felon for the crimes of sexual assault with a minor, felony sale of hallucinogen/narcotic controlled substance, and felony failure to appear.
The 37-year-old was ordered removed by an immigration judge on May 7, 2004, and he was sent back to Mexico later that month.
But he later re-entered the United States, though it is not known when, ICE’s release stated.
“Protecting national security, public safety and our borders by identifying and removing dangerous criminal fugitives from our communities is the top priority of our fugitive operations teams,” said John Tsoukaris, the field office director of the Enforcement and Removal Operations in Newark, New Jersey.
He added: “A convicted felon and one of our most wanted fugitives; Mr. Atlixqueno-Vaquero is a threat no more and is in custody awaiting removal from the United States. I commend the hard work and dedication of our officers.”
Since October 2009, the ERO has removed some 1,700 foreign fugitives from the United States. They were sought in their home countries for a litany of crimes, including kidnapping, rape, and murder.
