He took ICE’s self-deportation deal — now he fears a case of mistaken identity could follow him

☑️ A man initially linked to an ICE investigation says he fears the impact of a mistake

☑️ ICE later identified a different man involved in the Stafford Township stop

☑️ The Peruvian man self-deported in March

The man initially named as the target of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigation on Monday in Stafford Township said he is worried about the impact the mix-up will have on his potential return to the United States.

Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno was named by ICE as an individual they were looking for during a stop on Route 72 in Stafford Township on Monday, and described him as being in the United States illegally.

ICE later named Eduardo Cruz Garcia, who lived in Barnegat, as the driver of a van they say was "weaponized" against an ICE agent.

ICE also confirmed that Castillo-Ormeno self-deported to Peru in March. He sent New Jersey 101.5 a copy of his plane ticket showing he self-deported in March. Castillo-Ormeno told Noticias Telemundo that his girlfriend and their child also returned to Peru with him.

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Being named in ICE case led to troubling phone calls

He told Noticias Telemundo that when he was named as the suspect, he began getting phone calls that gave him "goosebumps."

"My skin crawled a little because it's a very serious matter that I'm being accused of," Castillo-Ormeno said, according to a translation of the interview. "I repeat, and all that time I was complying with what the immigration program asked of me."

ICE stressed that it never named Castillo-Ormeno as the driver who is accused of "weaponizing" his car against an ICE agent.

Under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security self-deportation rules in the CBP Home program, Castillo-Ormeno received a $2,600 stipend with the chance he could legally return to the U.S. He also encouraged others to take the same offer.

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Eduardo Cruz Garcia (left), ICE agent's body wedged between van and ICE vehicle on Route 72 in Stafford Mon., June 15, 2026

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