U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark, in cooperation with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Newark, arrested four individuals present in the United States without legal status who have histories of child exploitation offenses. The arrests were made over a four-day period as part of “Operation Apex Predator,” an ongoing initiative targeting noncitizens with convictions related to child exploitation.
On July 21, HSI and ERO personnel arrested Gerson Jose Saenz Umana, a 27-year-old from El Salvador, and Javier Garcia Nicolasa, a 42-year-old from Mexico. According to ICE, Garcia Nicolasa was convicted on December 1, 2023, for endangering sexual conduct with a child by caretaker and received a three-year prison sentence. Authorities said he entered the U.S. at an unknown time and location.
Umana is listed as a registered sex offender with a sealed criminal history involving child exploitation. He was first encountered near Falfurrias, Texas in November 2012 as an unaccompanied minor.
Earlier in the week, on July 17, two other men were arrested: Juan Villatoro Valle from El Salvador and Reyes Peralta-Salazar from Mexico. Both are also present in the country without legal status.
Villatoro Valle, age 45, was convicted on August 2, 2019 of sexual assault involving a victim under age 13, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and endangering with sexual conduct. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Authorities stated that he entered the U.S. without inspection before 2000; he later received Temporary Protected Status in 2006 but his application for permanent residency was denied in 2009.
Peralta-Salazar, age 38, was arrested on September 14, 2023 for criminal sexual conduct and endangering – sexual conduct with a child – and sentenced to 180 days in jail. His date of entry into the U.S. is unknown.
All four individuals are required to register as sex offenders in New Jersey and remain in ICE custody pending immigration hearings or deportation proceedings.
Operation Apex Predator is led by the Department of Homeland Security Cyber Crimes Center Child Exploitation Investigations Unit to proactively identify and arrest noncitizen sex offenders living within the United States.
ICE encourages members of the public to report crimes or suspicious activity by calling its tip line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or using its online tip form.
