U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested hundreds of criminal illegal immigrants in a series of nationwide operations targeting individuals with convictions for serious offenses. The enforcement actions, described by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a focus on "the worst of the worst," apprehended individuals convicted of crimes including attempted murder, rape, and lewd acts with a child.
Among those arrested was Jose Solorzano-Felix, a Mexican national taken into custody in Salt Lake City, Utah. Solorzano-Felix had been convicted of attempted murder of a federal law enforcement officer, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and illegal possession of a handgun. Another arrest in Santa Clara, California, involved Paulino Lugos-Perez, also from Mexico, who was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child. In Forsyth County, North Carolina, Adrian Valdez-Lopez, a Mexican citizen, was arrested following a conviction for second-degree forcible rape.
The operation also apprehended Edgar Josue Centeno, a Honduran national and alleged member of the Latin Kings gang, in Pasadena, California. Centeno was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon. In Mineola, New York, Rodolfo Umana, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was arrested after a conviction for burglary.
Acting DHS assistant secretary Lauren Bis stated that ICE agents "risked their lives" to arrest these individuals. She emphasized that under the current administration, ICE will continue to apprehend and remove those deemed public safety threats. According to DHS, approximately 70% of ICE arrests involve individuals who have already been charged or convicted of a crime in the United States.