A man from Honduras who is accused of causing the death of a woman in Iowa in 2016 due to drunk driving in Nebraska has been brought back to the United States after fleeing the country when released on bail.
Eswin Mejia, the individual in question, was apprehended in Honduras on Thursday and transported to the U.S to answer for the demise of 21-year-old Sarah Root, as stated by the State Department.
“Nine years back, Sarah tragically lost her life due to the actions of an undocumented immigrant who later left our country,” noted Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “Today, the Trump Administration is confirming that Sarah’s perpetrator has been extradited from Honduras to the U.S to finally face the consequences.”
Eswin Mejia is pictured handcuffed on a plane on his way back to the United States. (Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem )
Mejia, who was living in the U.S. illegally, was allegedly driving drunk when he crashed into Root’s vehicle at a stoplight in Omaha, Neb., in January 2016. She later died at a hospital.Â
Mejia was detained and charged, but fled the country after being released on bond. He was later added to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “Most Wanted” list.
At the time of his arrest, ICE said that Mejia was not an “enforcement priority.”
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., praised news of the arrest.Â
Authorities pictured in Honduras. (Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem)
“The Trump administration never forgot Sarah Root’s story,” she wrote on social media. Together, we fought for justice to hold the illegal immigrant who took her life accountable. Iowans and every American know that this administration will always put our citizens first.”
Border agents first encountered Mejia in May 2013 when he arrived in Nogales, Ariz., and was designated as an unaccompanied child, according to an ICE response letter to Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb, at the time. “As required by law,” Mejia was transferred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which then shipped him to Omaha in 2014 to live with his brother.Â
After his January 2016 arrest for motor vehicle homicide, ICE officials “encountered Mr. Mejia just once,” but they did not file a detainer.
In February, Honduras reached an agreement with the United States to continue a century-old extradition treaty. The agreement came amid tension between both governments after officials expressed concerns over a meeting between Honduran officials and Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, who faces drug trafficking charges in the U.S.
