ICE Phoenix removes Mexican Noroeste Cartel member

NOGALES, Ariz. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed Gerardo Nava-Benitez, a 30-year-old Mexican alien and Noroeste cartel member, June 10.

ICE transported Nava-Benitez from the Florence Detention Center to the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, where he was transferred to the custody of Mexican authorities.

“The removal of Nava-Benitez demonstrates the collaborative, whole-of-government approach that ICE supports in protecting the citizens of the U.S.,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Phoenix Field Office Director John Cantu. “Our dedicated officers and partners in law enforcement have worked tirelessly to ensure that such individuals are brought to justice and then removed from the United States.”

Nava-Benitez was previously expelled to Mexico on four occasions in October and November 2022. He reentered the U.S. illegally in November 2022 and was encountered by ICE at the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on March 13, 2024, following an arrest for criminal activity. Thereafter he was placed in immigration proceedings and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in April 2025.

Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives, transnational gang members or other criminal aliens who are in the U.S. illegally, are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423, or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

For more news and information on how ICE carries out its immigration enforcement mission in Arizona, follow us on X at @ERO__Phoenix.

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