ICE deports Ariel Nunez linked to 2014 kidnapping of 43 Mexican students

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported Ariel Nunez Figueroa, a 30-year-old Mexican national, to Mexico due to his alleged involvement in the 2014 kidnapping and murder of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Teachers’ College. Nunez was taken into custody on September 9, 2024, after ICE received a tip from Interpol about his potential location in the Houston area. An immigration judge ordered his removal to Mexico on January 22, 2025, and he was transferred from a Texas processing center to Mexican authorities at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge Port of Entry. ICE officials emphasized the long wait for justice faced by the victims' families, highlighting the collaborative efforts with Interpol and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico that led to Nunez's capture. The case is a significant reminder of one of Mexico's most notorious human rights tragedies, involving alleged state and criminal complicity in the students' disappearance. The 43 students were last seen being attacked by security forces linked to a drug gang while traveling to a protest.