In a concerted effort aligning with National Crime Victims Week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) took decisive action on Wednesday, apprehending several individuals found guilty of egregious crimes, including sexual offenses and narcotics distribution, officials reported.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that these operations specifically targeted those with past convictions for severe offenses such as aggravated sexual assault, indecent acts with minors, strangulation-related assault, and methamphetamine trafficking.
“In observance of National Crime Victims Week, DHS remains steadfast in its commitment to securing justice for victims affected by crimes committed by illegal immigrants,” stated acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “By apprehending these criminal illegal aliens, ICE plays a crucial role in preventing further victimization within our communities.”
Authorities have shed light on several notable arrests made throughout the week.
Federal agents orchestrated an enforcement operation, with accompanying booking photos illustrating individuals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during this national observance week, according to officials. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images; mugshots: DHS)
Among those arrested was Carlos Portillo-Nunez from El Salvador, who had previously been convicted for engaging in lewd or lascivious acts with a minor in Indio, California, as per DHS records.
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.
