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In a series of decisive enforcement operations coinciding with National Crime Victims Week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended several individuals convicted of serious offenses, such as sexual assault and drug trafficking, officials announced on Wednesday.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that these arrests specifically targeted individuals with previous convictions for serious crimes, including aggravated sexual assault, lewd acts with a minor, assault by strangulation, and the distribution of methamphetamine.
Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis emphasized the significance of these actions, stating, “During National Crime Victims Week, DHS continues its mission to secure justice for victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens. By removing these criminal elements from our communities, ICE prevents them from committing further offenses and creating more victims.”
The operations this week have been highlighted by officials, underscoring the importance and impact of these arrests.
Federal agents were actively involved in these enforcement actions. Images from these operations show the efforts of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during this significant week, with booking photos of the individuals apprehended serving as a stark reminder of the ongoing work to protect communities. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images; mugshots courtesy of DHS)
One man, Carlos Portillo-Nunez of El Salvador, was previously convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child in Indio, California, according to DHS.
Pablo Blanco-Fortuna, an illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and failing to register as a sex offender in Hidalgo, Texas, and Roberto Vallejo-Benitez, also from Mexico, was convicted of assault by strangulation in Wake County, North Carolina, officials said.
ICE arrested multiple individuals Wednesday who were convicted of serious crimes, including sexual assault and drug trafficking. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu, File)
Guatemalan national Eladio Laines was previously convicted of sexual assault and unlawful restraint involving serious bodily injury in Chester, Pennsylvania, and Alfredo Delgado-Perez, another Mexican national, was convicted of distributing methamphetamine in Los Angeles.
The arrests come after the U.S. experienced historically high levels of illegal immigration in recent years.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 2 million migrant encounters along the southern border in both fiscal years 2022 and 2023, according to DHS data, before declining in 2024.
The arrests come after the U.S. experienced historically high levels of illegal immigration in recent years. (Getty Images)
The individuals arrested are from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, countries that have consistently accounted for a significant share of illegal border crossings in recent years, according to DHS encounter data.
ICE has said it prioritizes the arrest and removal of illegal aliens with prior criminal convictions, particularly those involving violence, sexual offenses and drug trafficking.
While DHS highlights arrests involving serious criminal offenses, such cases represent a small portion of the millions of illegal alien encounters recorded nationwide in recent years, based on CBP data.
The federal agency said the arrests were part of its broader efforts to remove individuals with criminal convictions from U.S. communities. It also pointed victims to its Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office for support services.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, DHS will never stop fighting for justice for the innocent Americans whose lives were stolen by illegal aliens who should have never been in our country,” Bis said.