HOUSTON – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities in Houston detained a woman who previously spent time for murder and has been deported multiple times since 2000.
Maribel Martinez Garcia, 40, was detained in north Houston on Thursday by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). They claimed she possessed a forged Social Security card and a legitimate permanent resident card.
According to ICE, Martinez is a Mexican national who was 16 when she was apprehended illegally entering the United States in 2000. She was apprehended by ICE authorities in Houston and deported.
On January 1, 2004, border patrol agents apprehended Martinez as she attempted to enter Progreso, South Texas, and she voluntarily returned to Mexico.
She attempted to cross into Progreso again nine days later, on January 10 but was sent back a third time.
It is unclear when Martinez entered the United States for the fourth time, but she was caught on January 1, 2007, and charged with capital murder. In 2008, she was found guilty of the lesser charge of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Garcia spent a few years in prison before being returned to Mexico.
She eventually returned, and ERO Houston hunted her out with the help of ERO New Orleans.
“Thanks to hypervigilance and outstanding teamwork between ERO Houston and ERO New Orleans we were able to quickly locate this convicted murderer who has repeatedly violated our nation’s immigration laws and safely take her into custody before she could hurt anyone else,” Bret Bradford, the director of the ERO Houston Field Office, said.
Martinez was transported to the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. ICE has referred her for prosecution for unauthorized reentry and is currently consulting with prosecutors about additional potential criminal charges.