Man wanted in 1993 machete murders deported to Honduras

U.S. immigration agents on Monday deported a Honduran man arrested in Hope Mills in February in connection with two homicides that occurred more than 20 years ago.

Francisco Escobar-Orellana, 56, was arrested on Feb. 21 in connection with the 1993 deaths of two men who were hacked to death with a machete in a Honduras liquor store, authorities said. He was charged in the case in 2005, but then made his way into the U.S. illegally, they said.

On March 23, a federal immigration judge ordered that Escobar-Orellana be removed from the United States.

On Monday, Escobar-Orellana was placed on an ICE Air operations flight to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and transferred into the custody of Honduran law enforcement officers upon arrival.

“ICE is focused on identifying, arresting and removing public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, as well as individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws,” said ERO Atlanta Field Office Director Sean Gallagher. “ICE Fugitive Operations Teams conduct targeted enforcement operations toward these identified threats to public safety. North Carolina residents are safer today thanks to the professionalism and hard work of these dedicated officers.”