ICE deports 75-year-old man wanted for death-squad killings during El Salvador’s civil war

Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia successfully deported Angel Anibal Alvarado Benitez, a 75-year-old citizen of El Salvador with a final order of removal, on March 22. Alvarado Benitez is wanted by law enforcement authorities in El Salvador for murder and other crimes related to his involvement in death-squad killings during the civil war in El Salvador.

Alvarado Benitez was handed over to law enforcement authorities in El Salvador by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ERO Philadelphia. He is accused of being part of a death squad responsible for kidnapping, torturing, and murdering five civilians in the village of San Andres in eastern El Salvador in April 1981.

The initiative to investigate and repatriate Alvarado Benitez was led by ICE’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) with support from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) attaché in San Salvador. The HRVWCC, established in 2008 to enhance ICE’s efforts against human rights abusers, collaborates with agents, historians, lawyers, intelligence specialists, and analysts to pursue enforcement actions against these offenders.

In June 2023, HSI and ERO in Baltimore arrested Alvarado Benitez for being present in the U.S. without inspection and initiated removal proceedings. He was transferred from ERO Baltimore to ERO Philadelphia at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg for adjudication. The case was handled by the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor in Baltimore, resulting in a removal order to El Salvador issued by an immigration judge. Alvarado Benitez’s removal order became administratively final on Feb. 9, 2024.

ERO is responsible for executing removals of individuals lacking lawful status in the U.S., following orders from immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR operates independently from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE, and immigration judges make case-based decisions, determining removal orders or eligibility for relief from removal based on individual circumstances.

As part of ICE’s operational directorates, ERO plays a crucial role in domestic immigration enforcement, focusing on interior operations, managing detained populations, and repatriating individuals with final removal orders. ERO comprises over 7,700 personnel across various locations nationwide and internationally, and the public can report crimes or suspicious activities by contacting 866-347-2423 or using ICE’s online tip form.