A Mexican national with a history of violent offenses, Ivan Lopez-Ramos, 29, has been arraigned on felony charges in Seattle for unlawfully re-entering the United States after deportation.
Lopez-Ramos, previously removed from the U.S. in 2022 due to multiple violent felony convictions, was apprehended in August 2024 and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Thursday in the United States District Court for Western Washington.
Lopez-Ramos is being held at the Federal Detention Center (FDC) SeaTac pending his trial, which is scheduled for January 21, 2025. Magistrate Judge S. Kate Vaughn opted against immediate deportation, citing the need for a trial to address the charges.
Court records reveal that Lopez-Ramos has been convicted of numerous violent crimes in Washington state since 2019. He is also a registered sex offender.
His most recent arrest occurred on August 29, 2024, in Mountlake Terrace, a suburb north of Seattle, where he was taken into custody on charges of felony domestic violence and assault.
The arrest followed a series of incidents, including a September 5, 2023, event where Lopez-Ramos crashed his vehicle on Interstate 5 in Lynnwood, Washington.
After the crash, he reportedly attempted to carjack multiple occupied vehicles before escaping on foot to evade law enforcement.
Initially deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Mexico City on October 6, 2022, Lopez-Ramos unlawfully returned to the U.S. on an undetermined date.
After his August arrest, Lopez-Ramos was transferred from Snohomish County Jail to federal custody on September 6, 2024. Judge Mary Alice Theiler issued a detention order on September 24, requiring him to remain in custody until his arraignment.
The detention order outlined several risk factors, including his foreign citizenship, prior deportation, ongoing criminal activities, history of failing to appear in court, resistance to arrest, substance abuse, mental health concerns, and suspected gang affiliation.
Judge Theiler described Lopez-Ramos as posing the highest level of pretrial danger, citing his “pattern of violent criminal conduct” and repeated noncompliance with legal and supervisory requirements.
Upon his unlawful re-entry into the United States, Lopez-Ramos accrued several new charges, including failure to register as a sex offender, felony escape from community custody, domestic violence assault, harassment with threats to kill, interference with reporting domestic violence, second-degree assault, hit-and-run, eluding law enforcement, and malicious mischief.
According to court filings, Lopez-Ramos has been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Authorities believe he has family in the greater Seattle area, though their immigration statuses remain unclear.
ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Seattle has emphasized the public danger posed by Lopez-Ramos, urging citizens to report crimes or suspicious activities by calling 866-347-2423 or submitting tips online.
The case underscores ongoing challenges in addressing repeat offenders who re-enter the U.S. after deportation, highlighting broader issues of public safety, border enforcement, and the judicial system’s handling of violent offenders.