Federal authorities have charged an El Salvadoran man with escape from custody after he allegedly slipped away from immigration agents while being transported through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in July.
The man, identified as Gerson Enrique Castaneda Piche, was being escorted by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 15, en route to the Northwest ICE Processing Center (NWIPC) in Tacoma. The agents were transporting him following a domestic violence conviction earlier this year in California and pending immigration removal proceedings. Castaneda had reportedly told officials he feared persecution or torture if deported back to El Salvador.
According to documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Seattle, Castaneda made his escape by leaping from the back seat of a vehicle near the airport’s car rental center. Agents from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division gave chase on foot but were unable to immediately apprehend him.
The complaint notes that after the escape, ICE notified the Department of Homeland Security, which coordinated a response. Federal officers established a two-mile perimeter around Sea-Tac and began a search operation.
Authorities later located Castaneda around 3 a.m., not far from the airport’s rideshare pickup zone. He was taken back into custody without incident and subsequently booked into the NWIPC.
The escape has now resulted in one federal count of escape from custody, according to the complaint. Castaneda remains detained pending further legal proceedings.
