U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 15 undocumented immigrants with criminal histories over a recent weekend, including convictions for homicide, rape, child sex crimes, and drug trafficking, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The enforcement action is part of the Trump administration's broader efforts to increase deportations and interior enforcement.
"Over the weekend, while Americans attended the Great American State Fair and enjoyed their summer weekends, the men and women of ICE were hard at work arresting criminal illegal aliens convicted of homicide, child sexual abuse, assault, rape, and drug trafficking," stated DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, ICE will continue to protect Americans by arresting and removing criminal illegal aliens from our country."
Among those arrested was Martin Gutierrez-Gaona, a Mexican citizen convicted in Los Angeles of evading a peace officer, possession of a controlled narcotic substance, forgery, and assault with a deadly weapon. Carlos Augusto Melendez-Reales, a Colombian citizen, had prior convictions in Tampa, Florida, for conspiracy to possess cocaine. Carl Winston Ellis, a Jamaican national, had convictions in Las Vegas for drug possession with intent to distribute and illegal re-entry. Jose Daniel Lara-Zavala, a Mexican citizen, was previously convicted of homicide and driving under the influence in North Carolina. Odelio Lopez-Lopez, also from Mexico, had convictions in California for burglary, possession of burglary tools, and domestic assault. Natanio Jimenez-Garcia, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, had prior convictions for aggravated rape and fraud.
The remaining arrested individuals had criminal convictions for offenses such as child sex crimes, assault with a deadly weapon, and witness tampering.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has indicated that the agency is on pace to exceed the deportation figures from the previous year. In 2025, there were 442,000 formal deportations and removals, with DHS reporting over 605,000 total removals overall. Mullin recently stated that the agency would likely surpass the total number of deportations from 2025 within the next six weeks.