ERO Houston, international partners successfully remove dangerous MS-13 associate from the US
Photo from ERO Houston of Marco Antonio Vigil Argueta.
HOUSTON - Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston, with assistance from ERO El Salvador and the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE) Task Force, removed Marco Antonio Vigil Argueta, from the U.S. on May 5. Vigil Argueta is a 51-year-old unlawfully present Salvadoran national and known associate of the 20th Street Clique of Mara Salvatrucha-13 (MS-13) and is wanted in El Salvador for illegal gang associations.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Air Operations Unit coordinated Vigil Argueta’s flight from Alexandria, Louisiana, to the Monsenor Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador. Upon arrival, he was turned over to officials from El Salvador’s Civilian National Police.
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Vigil Argueta illegally entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location. On Nov. 11, 2005, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended him near Hidalgo, Texas. Border Patrol officials released Vigil Argueta on Nov. 12, 2005, on an order of recognizance pending disposition of his immigration proceedings.
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Following his release, Vigil Argueta failed to appear for his immigration proceedings and absconded from authorities. On Feb. 3, 2006, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered Vigil Argueta removed from the U.S. to El Salvador in absentia. On Dec. 16, 2012, Vigil Argueta removed himself from the U.S. on a commercial flight from the Houston Intercontinental Airport to El Salvador.
He then illegally reentered the U.S. on an unknown date and at an unknown location. On March 15, ERO Houston fugitive operations officers in Houston apprehended him and his prior order of removal was reinstated. His removal to El Salvador was carried out by ICE officers on May 5.
"The successful apprehension and removal of this foreign fugitive is the result of outstanding teamwork between ERO Houston and our federal and international partners," said ERO Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez. "By working together, we have removed a dangerous threat from the local community and repatriated him to his country where he will face justice for his alleged crimes."
If you have any information about a foreign fugitive is asked to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at (866) 347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. You can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form by clicking here.