ERO St. Paul removes foreign fugitive wanted in Mexico for rape of a minor

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations St. Paul field office removed an unlawfully present noncitizen foreign fugitive wanted in Mexico for rape of a minor, July 18.

Andres Palacios Pizano, a 25-year-old Mexican citizen, was escorted by ERO officers from St. Paul, Minnesota, to the Brownsville, Texas, port of entry where he was transferred to Mexican authorities. Since 2017, Palacios Pizano has been removed from the U.S. six times for immigration violations.

“Palacios Pizano attempted to flee justice in Mexico by hiding out in North Dakota and other locations throughout the U.S.” said ERO St. Paul Field Office Director Peter B. Berg. “He poses a significant threat, and we won’t allow our communities to be safe havens for noncitizens like him. ERO St. Paul will continue to collaborate with local, state, and international law enforcement agencies to remove dangerous individuals and ensure public safety.”

Palacios Pizano is a recidivist offender of U.S. immigration law, first removed in 2019 with subsequent removals in 2020, 2021, 2023, and 2024. Most recently, on an unknown date after June 23, 2023, at an unknown location, Palacios Pizano unlawfully entered the U.S. On April 19. ERO St. Paul encountered Palacios Pizano at the Burleigh Morton Detention Center in Bismarck, North Dakota, and lodged an immigration detainer. On the same date, ERO St. Paul arrested Palacios Pizano and served him with Form I-871 Notice of Intent/Decision to Reinstate Prior Order. On April 24, ERO St. Paul transferred him to the U.S. Marshals Service custody at the Grand Forks Correctional Facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for criminal prosecution of 8 USC 1326(a), reentry of a deported alien, and lodged an immigration detainer. On June 10, the U.S. District Court of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, convicted Palacios Pizano and sentenced him to timed served with credit for time served. On the same date, the USMS transferred Palacios Pizano to ERO St. Paul custody at the Grand Forks Correctional Facility for removal proceedings. On June 17, ERO St. Paul was notified Palacios Pizano is wanted in Mexico for rape of a minor.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by the federal immigration judges.

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.

In fiscal year 2023 ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 290,178 associated charges and convictions with an average of four per individual. These included 33,209 assaults; 4,390 sex and sexual assaults; 7,520 weapons offenses; 1,713 charges or convictions for homicide; and 1,655 kidnapping offenses.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form. Learn more about ERO St. Paul’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROSaintPaul.