Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs | https://www.dhs.gov/
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a nationwide operation on July 31, 2025, arresting several individuals identified as criminal illegal aliens. The agency stated that the arrests targeted people convicted of serious crimes, including child sexual abuse, human smuggling, and other offenses.
“These aren’t just low-level offenders – they are sickening sexual predators and smugglers who pose real public safety threats to Americans,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “These are grisly criminals who exploited children, smuggled illegal aliens, and stalked Americans. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is taking the worst of the worst off the streets and making America safe again.”
The individuals arrested in this enforcement action include Taide Garcia-Penaloza from Mexico, convicted of indecency with a child sexual contact in Bexar County, Texas; Antonio Nava-Capilla from Mexico, convicted of child abuse inflicting serious injury in Park City, Utah; Angel Ivan Ramirez-Escobedo from Mexico, convicted of human smuggling in El Paso, Texas; Jose Hernan Lucero-Lucero from Ecuador, convicted of unlawful surveillance and acting in a manner to injure a child under 17 in Suffolk County, New York; and Leuam Vannavong from Laos, convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a family member in Grand Haven, Michigan.
ICE has emphasized its continued focus on removing violent criminal offenders from communities across the United States.
