HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in Houston have arrested a woman who once served time for murder and has been deported repeatedly since 2000.
Maribel Martinez Garcia, 40, was arrested in north Houston on Thursday by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). They said she had a counterfeit Social Security card and a fake lawful permanent resident card.
According to ICE, Martinez is a Mexican national who was 16 the first time she got caught entering the U.S. illegally in 2000. She was arrested by ICE agents in Houston and deported.
On January 1, 2004, border patrol agents caught Martinez trying to enter Progreso in South Texas and she voluntarily returned to Mexico.
She tried to cross into Progreso again nine days later on January 10 but was sent back a third time.
It's not clear when Martinez successfully entered the U.S. for the fourth time but she was arrested on Jan. 1, 2007, and charged with capital murder. In 2008, she was convicted of the lesser charge of murder and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Garcia served a few years in prison before being sent back to Mexico.
She came back at some point and ERO Houston tracked her down with help from 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," ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret A. Bradford said.
Martinez was taken to the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas. ICE has referred her for prosecution for illegal reentry and is currently working with prosecutors on additional potential criminal charges.
