ICE Deports Criminal Illegal Alien After Fatal Florida Hit-Run
Summary
ICE deported Hilda Esperanza Lopez-Hernandez, an illegal alien ordered deported in 2018 who failed to appear for her immigration hearing. She was convicted in Okaloosa County, Florida of hit-and-run, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and hiding evidence in January 2023, and sentenced to four years in prison. ICE arrested her upon release from jail pursuant to an immigration detainer and deported her April 12, 2026.
“Not only did she choose to remain in the U.S. illegally, drive without a license and leave the scene of an accident — she was prepared to let her boyfriend take the blame.”
What changed
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami deported Hilda Esperanza Lopez-Hernandez, who was ordered removed in absentia in 2018 after failing to attend her immigration hearing. She was convicted in Okaloosa County in January 2023 of hit-and-run, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and hiding evidence related to a fatal 2021 collision, and sentenced to four years in prison.
Affected parties include individuals subject to immigration detainers following criminal convictions. ICE Miami's action demonstrates continued enforcement against aliens who remain in the country illegally after receiving removal orders, particularly those with subsequent criminal conduct. The case highlights how immigration detainers can be honored by local law enforcement partners following completion of state criminal sentences.
Archived snapshot
Apr 21, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
April 21, 2026 Miami, FL, United States Enforcement and Removal
ICE deports criminal illegal alien who fled the scene of fatal Florida car accident, then swapped vehicles with her boyfriend
The arrest was made possible by cooperation with our local law enforcement partners MIAMI — Hilda Esperanza Lopez-Hernandez was driving a bright red Ford Mustang when she collided with a vehicle operated by 63-year-old Florida resident David Hayes in 2021. The fatal hit-and-run should never have happened; Lopez-Hernandez had no driver’s license, and she wasn’t supposed to be in this country. She was ordered deported in 2018 during an immigration hearing she failed to attend.
Lopez-Hernandez left the scene of the fatal Okaloosa County accident, pulled into a nearby restaurant, called her boyfriend, and swapped vehicles with him to cover up her crime. Neither she nor her boyfriend bothered to call police to report the accident. The victim was discovered and pronounced dead at the scene.
Lopez-Hernandez was convicted in Okaloosa County of hit-and-run, operating a motor vehicle without a license and hiding evidence Jan. 9, 2023, and sentenced to four years in prison.
ICE Miami arrested her upon her release from jail pursuant to an honored immigration detainer and deported her April 12.
“Hilda Esperanza Lopez-Hernandez entered the country as a teenager, but she was an adult when she fled the scene of an accident without bothering to check on the other driver,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “Not only did she choose to remain in the U.S. illegally, drive without a license and leave the scene of an accident — she was prepared to let her boyfriend take the blame.”
Lopez-Hernandez entered the country in 2014 with her mother and another child. They were apprehended by Border Patrol on their way to Fort Walton Beach to live with a family member and released under the Obama administration with a notice to appear in immigration court. Almost four years later, on May 10, 2018, she failed to show up for her immigration hearing. The judge ordered her removed in absentia.
Learn more about detainers on ICE’s immigration detainer webpage. Learn more about ICE’s public safety mission on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Bluesky or Truth Social.
Updated:
04/21/2026
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