U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrest of several individuals described as sexual predators and child abusers, including non-citizens with criminal convictions in the United States. The operation was carried out on August 13, 2025.
According to Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, "Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is arresting pedophiles, abusers, and sexual predators. 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens who have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges in the United States," she said. "DHS is sending a clear message to illegal aliens: if you prey on children, if you victimize the innocent, ICE will find you, arrest you, and remove you from our country."
Among those arrested were Juan Ortiz-Mora from Mexico, convicted of indecency with a child in Tarrant County, Texas; Ronald Echeverria-Tumbaco from Ecuador, convicted of aggravated indecent assault involving a minor in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania; Leidy Linares-Rapalo from Honduras, convicted for two counts of child abuse in Hall County, Nebraska; Jheremy Julian Morales-Juarez from Mexico, convicted for possession of obscene material depicting minors in Riverside, California; and Juan Espino-Escamilla from Mexico, convicted for sex assault in Reno, Nevada.
The Department of Homeland Security has reported that most recent ICE arrests involve individuals with previous criminal convictions or charges.
