U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Philadelphia field office helped prevent a murder suspect from fleeing the country one day and helped apprehend a fleeing suspect the next day earlier this month.

In the first incident, ERO deportation officers assigned to the FBI Violent Gang Task Force in Philadelphia and a Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) officer confirmed March 1 that Franklin Estevez was wanted for murder as the primary and only suspect of a homicide.

The officers positively identified the suspect as Franklin Ransher Estevez-Garcia, a naturalized U.S. Citizen born in the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, Estevez-Garcia had already purchased a ticket, in cash, for a flight from JFK Airport to Santo Domingo.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents confirmed that Estevez-Garcia boarded the flight without being detected as the primary suspect in the homicide.

HSI special agents coordinated with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) authorities in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and relayed that Estevez-Garcia was the only suspect in the homicide. HSI also informed DHS that the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office was in the process of getting a warrant signed for his arrest.

Estevez-Garcia did not enter the Dominican Republic, and was sent back to the United States. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers took him into custody upon arrival at JFK Airport.

In the second incident, a quick thinking ERO officer assisted a Philadelphia police officer in apprehending a fleeing suspect March 2. He witnessed the Philadelphia officer in hot pursuit of an alleged perpetrator in a high crime area of the city. The officer stopped at a red light and witnessed an individual running from the uniformed officer. He followed the alleged perpetrator as the Philadelphia officer chased behind and witnessed the alleged perpetrator duck behind a parked car in an attempt to hide. The ERO officer identified himself to the alleged perpetrator as law enforcement and detained him until the Philadelphia officer caught up. The officer provided backup assistance to the Philadelphia officer as she effectuated the arrest of the individual.

The Philadelphia officer advised the ERO officer that the subject was being sought for theft and had assaulted and punched a Philadelphia officer prior to fleeing. Records later revealed that the subject had an extensive violent criminal history.

These two incidents on consecutive days serve as examples of how ERO officers are committed to the public safety of their communities in Philadelphia and across the United States.