Despite the ongoing government shutdown, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have continued to make arrests of individuals described as the "worst of the worst" among criminal illegal aliens. The agency reported that recent arrests included individuals convicted of serious crimes such as sexual assault of a child, murder, drug trafficking, and kidnapping.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, "The Democrats’ government shutdown is not slowing ICE down from removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from our streets. Yesterday, some of the dirtbags arrested included pedophiles, murderers, and drug traffickers. These criminal illegal aliens have no business remaining in this country to terrorize innocent Americans. ICE will NOT stop making America safe again even during the Democrats’ government shutdown."
The individuals arrested include Sergio Ivaan Martinez from Mexico, who was convicted for aggravated sexual assault of a child in Dallas, Texas; Chay Jungle Her from Laos, convicted for homicide-murder and assault with intent to do great bodily harm in Flint, Michigan; Jose Andres Gomez-Matarrita from Costa Rica, convicted for assault by strangulation and second-degree kidnapping in New Hanover County, North Carolina; Enzo David Fernandez-Morales from Venezuela, convicted for engaging in organized criminal activity in Hays County, Texas; and Leonardo Estupinan-Nazareno from Ecuador, convicted of importation of cocaine in Weston, Florida.
ICE has emphasized that its enforcement operations will continue despite the current lapse in government funding.
