ICE agents in the Washington, D.C., area arrested a Salvadoran national wanted in Colorado on felony child sex charges on Sept. 16.
Jose Saul Canas-Guandique, 49, was apprehended in Falls Church, Va., as part of targeted enforcement operations, ICE said. He faces charges in Colorado including solicitation of child prostitution and use of the internet to lure a minor for exploitation.
ICE described Canas-Guandique as a criminal alien fugitive who had evaded state prosecution. The arrest illustrates the agency’s coordination with state prosecutors to locate individuals facing serious felony charges who have crossed state lines.
The charges against Canas-Guandique carry significant potential prison sentences under Colorado law. Sexual assault on a child is classified as a serious felony in Colorado, with mandatory minimum sentences upon conviction.
For communities in both Virginia and Colorado, the arrest underscores ICE’s role in apprehending fugitives whose immigration status intersects with the criminal justice system. The agency has increasingly highlighted arrests of individuals facing violent and sexual offense charges as part of its public communications strategy.
ICE’s Washington Field Office conducted the arrest. The agency did not disclose Canas-Guandique’s immigration history, including when and how he entered the United States or whether he had prior encounters with immigration authorities.
The case will be prosecuted in Colorado, where the underlying criminal charges originated. ICE typically transfers arrested fugitives to the jurisdiction holding the active warrant before initiating any immigration proceedings.