ICE Weekend Sweep Nets Murderers, Child Sex Offenders, and Traffickers

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested criminal illegal aliens across the country over the weekend, and the Department of Homeland Security on Monday published names, countries of origin, and criminal convictions that include murder, sexual assault of a child, kidnapping, and multi-kilogram drug trafficking.

“While Americans enjoyed their weekend, the patriots of ICE worked around the clock to remove murderers, pedophiles, drug traffickers, and other public safety threats from our communities,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “Under President Trump, ICE has been unleashed to deliver the American people’s mandate to arrest and remove illegal aliens from our country. We will always put the safety of the American people first.”

Among those listed:

Ramon Bonifacio, a Dominican Republic national, convicted of murder and cocaine possession in Mineola, New York.

Juan Nunez-Avalos, a Mexican national, convicted of voluntary manslaughter, carjacking, and possession of a weapon in prison in Los Angeles.

Hector Chavez-Ramos, a Guatemalan national, convicted of sexual assault and sodomy of a minor in Auburn, Alabama.

Gerardo Mato-Herrera, a Mexican national, convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child in Santa Clara, California.

David Jean Charles Pena-Melo, a Dominican Republic national, convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, sexual assault, and drug trafficking in Shirley, Massachusetts.

John Alejandro Manrique-Osorio, a Colombian national, convicted of luring or enticing a child for indecent purposes in Hudson County, New Jersey.

Osmar Lopez-Joya, a Mexican national, convicted of transporting child pornography in Brooklyn, New York.

Carlos Coello-Gonzalez, a Cuban national, convicted of kidnapping, robbery, and drug trafficking in Las Vegas.

Francisco Sanchez-Villarreal, a Mexican national, convicted in McAllen, Texas, of possessing at least five kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute.

DHS also named Agustin Naranjo-Chavez of Mexico, convicted of conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa; Phuoc Nguyen-Ngoc of Vietnam, drug and burglary convictions in Los Angeles; Oniel Barzey of Montserrat, firearms and drug convictions in Philadelphia; Jesus Flores-Canales of Mexico, drug trafficking in the Western District of Oklahoma; Carlos Ernesto Montecinos of El Salvador, malicious wounding and document fraud in Fairfax, Virginia; and Salomon Hernandez-Najera of Mexico, second-degree burglary in Rensselaer County, New York.

These are administrative immigration arrests of people DHS describes as illegally present and already convicted in U.S. courts. An arrest is not a new criminal conviction. The underlying state and federal sentences are a matter of court record as presented by the department.

The release continues a weekly DHS “worst of the worst” series that has accompanied the second-term interior surge. ICE reported 49,571 arrests in July, the high-water mark of the term. Texas and Florida have driven a large share of that volume through 287(g) agreements that put trained local officers into the enforcement chain.