U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that its officers arrested several individuals with prior convictions for violent crimes during operations conducted over the weekend across the United States. The agency reported that those taken into custody included individuals convicted of offenses such as sexual activity with minors, aggravated sexual assault, burglary, human trafficking, robbery, aggravated assault, money laundering, aggravated domestic battery, and involuntary manslaughter.
According to ICE, arrests took place in multiple states and involved individuals from countries including Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, and China. Some specific cases highlighted by ICE include Andi Canales-Velasquez in Salt Lake City, Utah; Pablo Tierrablanca-Tierrablanca in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Ruben Paredes-Mendoza in Cook County, Illinois; Cristian Quintero-Rojas in Washoe County, Nevada; Victor Torres-Arredondo in El Paso, Texas; Nelson Cabrera Eskobar in Arlington, Virginia; Candido Anibal Soloman-Canahui in Plainfield, New Jersey; Yicheng Zhang in Los Angeles, California; Jose Alex Guarneros-Granados also in Cook County; and Carlos Mendoza-Martinez—a confirmed member of the Nortenos criminal organization—in Durham County, North Carolina.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on the operation: “While Americans were enjoying their weekends, ICE law enforcement was busy arresting sexual predators, human traffickers, robbers, and gang members—the worst of the worst from across the nation,” she said. “Instead of thanking our brave ICE law enforcement, sanctuary politicians and rioters continue to demonize them—comparing them to slave patrols, the Gestapo, and the Secret Police. This dangerous rhetoric is contributing to ICE law enforcement officers facing a more than 1000% increase in assaults against them as they carry out enforcement operations.”
ICE stated that its officers conduct targeted actions daily focusing on individuals who pose threats to national security or public safety. The agency emphasized its commitment to identifying and removing such individuals under U.S. law.
