JERSEY CITY, N.J. – A convicted killer who “escaped” from custody in Columbia and fled to the United States where he illegally entered the country has been captured, federal authorities confirmed.
Columbian national Miguel Angel Hernandez Moreno was six years into a 22-year sentence for murder when he fled his home country in September 2017 upon receiving a 72-hour furlough from prison.
Details of the homicide were not available and it’s unclear exactly why a furlough was approved or when he illegally entered the U.S..
The killer remained off the radar of American law enforcement until late last year when he was accused of making terroristic threats in Jersey City on Dec. 18.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) provided the following information in a news release:
The Jersey City Police in New Jersey arrested him (Miguel Angel Hernandez Moreno) for making terroristic threats and assault on Dec. 18, 2023. He was released before ERO Newark could lodge an immigration detainer. Those charges remain pending.
On Dec. 27, 2023, ERO Newark apprehended Hernandez again in Queens, New York, during a targeted enforcement action and detained him at the Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey. On the same date, ERO Newark served him with a notice to appear, charging him with inadmissibility pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act.
On Dec. 29, 2023, ERO Newark transferred Hernandez to ERO Philadelphia at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg.
On Jan. 10, 2024, an immigration judge in Elizabeth, New Jersey, ordered Hernandez removed from the United States to Colombia. He waived his right to appeal the judge’s decision.
ERO Philadelphia removed Hernandez Moreno from the U.S. with a final order of removal to Colombia on Feb. 13, the agency said.
“Time and again we see fugitives fleeing from justice in their home countries and illegally crossing into the U.S.,” said ERO Philadelphia Field Office Director Cammilla Wamsley. “The officers of ERO Philadelphia work tirelessly to apprehend and remove these wanted criminals who pose a threat to the American public.”
The deportation comes as the country is keenly aware of the illegal immigrant — 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra — who is accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus last week.
Ibarra is a Venezuelan national who illegally crossed the southern border into El Paso, Texas in September 2022, News Nation reported, citing multiple DHS sources. He was released from DHS custody over a lack of detention space, according to the outlet.
