ERO Baltimore arrests unlawfully present Salvadoran convicted of sexually assaulting Maryland minor

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Enforcement and Removal Operations Baltimore apprehended an unlawfully present 39-year-old Salvadoran national convicted of sexually assaulting a minor in Baltimore. Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested Luis Portillo-Henriquez June 10 in Ellicott City.

“Luis Portillo-Henriquez has been convicted of sexually abusing a Maryland child,” said ERO Baltimore Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “He represented a significant threat to the children of our Maryland neighborhoods. ERO Baltimore continues to prioritize public safety by apprehending and removing the most egregious noncitizen offenders from our communities. We are only out for the worst of the worst.”

Portillo unlawfully entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location, and without being, inspected, admitted or paroled by a U.S. immigration officer.

On April 29, 2010, the District Court for Baltimore County, Maryland-Traffic System convicted Portillo for DUI and gave him probation before judgement. The same court convicted him Sept. 13, 2017, for driving a vehicle without license and gave him probation before judgement.

The Prince George’s County Police Department in Hyattsville arrested Portillo Aug. 31, 2021, and charged him with changing lanes when it was unsafe to do so.

On Sept. 8, 2021, the Fredrick Police Department arrested and charged Portillo for DUI.

The Baltimore City Police Department arrested him March 1, 2023, and charged him with driving while his license was suspended.

On March 13, 2023, the Baltimore City Police Department arrested and charged him with two counts of a third-degree sex offense, sex offense in the fourth degree, rape in the second degree, child abuse in the second degree and sexual abuse of a minor in the same house or family.

The District Court for Frederick County-Traffic System in Frederick convicted him of DUI on April 4, 2023, and sentenced him to one year of imprisonment.

On August 9, 2023, the Circuit Court for Baltimore County-Criminal in Baltimore convicted him of sexual abuse of a minor in the same house or family and sentenced him to 25 years of imprisonment. The court then suspended all but 18 months of Portillo’s prison sentence.

The District Court for Prince George's County-Traffic System in Marlboro convicted Portillo April 19, 2024, for changing lanes when unsafe and fined him.

The District Court for Baltimore County-Traffic System in Baltimore convicted Portillo May 31 for driving while his license was suspended and fined him.

Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore apprehended Portillo in Ellicott City June 10 and issued him a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge. He will remain in ERO custody pending the outcome of his removal proceedings.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review. The Executive Office for Immigration Review is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

Members of the public can report crimes or suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the ICE online tip form.

As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Learn more about ERO Baltimore’s mission to increase public safety in our Maryland communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBaltimore.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)