U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has recently carried out the deportation of Humberto Romero Avila, a 45-year-old member of the Paisas gang, to Mexico. This foreign fugitive, who has managed to enter the U.S. illegally on ten separate occasions, is wanted in Mexico for the alleged murder of Geovany Uriel Prado Morales, a 22-year-old Mexican national, back in 2007.
According to a press release from ICE, Romero was transported by ICE from the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe to the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo. He was then handed over to Mexican authorities. Romero, who had entered the U.S. illegally, has been convicted four times for driving while intoxicated, as well as once for larceny, illegal entry, and illegal reentry.
“For nearly a quarter of a century, this transnational gang member has blatantly disregarded our nation’s immigration and criminal laws,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “On top of that, he’s accused of brutally gunning down an innocent 22-year-old man in Mexico in 2007.”
Romero first entered the U.S. illegally on March 22, 2002. He had multiple encounters with the U.S. Border Patrol and voluntarily returned to Mexico. On August 3, 2012, his sixth illegal entry was discovered when he was arrested for driving under the influence. As a result, he was deported to Mexico on August 27, 2012.
Romero kept entering the U.S. unlawfully, and his seventh attempt resulted in his arrest for larceny and DWI in 2013. He was once again deported on January 16, 2014. In February and March 2014, Romero made his eighth and ninth illegal entries, respectively, but was immediately apprehended and removed by the Border Patrol.
ICE officers, working together with the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, have apprehended Romero based on an outstanding warrant for homicide. This joint effort ensures that he will be held accountable for his alleged participation in the crime that occurred in 2007. Bradford expressed gratitude towards the immigration officers and the U.S. Embassy for their close collaboration, as Romero will no longer be able to inflict terror on the general public.
