Today, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem joined U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minneapolis during an enforcement operation that led to the arrest of Tomas Espin Tapia. Espin Tapia is a fugitive from Ecuador with an active murder warrant in his home country and a warrant for sexual assault in Connecticut.
According to DHS, Espin Tapia entered the United States illegally on October 23, 2022, and was subsequently released into the country. He has previous convictions for robbery and extortion in Ecuador. After failing to appear at his immigration hearing, he received a final order of removal from an Immigration Judge on February 28, 2025.
“Under President Trump, we will expose and deliver accountability for the rampant fraud and criminality happening in Minnesota. You won’t steal from Americans or break our laws and get away with it,” said Secretary Noem. “Another murderer and sexual predator off of Minneapolis’s streets thanks to ICE. We just arrested this criminal illegal alien from Ecuador who has an active warrant for murder in Ecuador and a warrant for sexual assault in Connecticut. He was convicted of robbery and extortion in Ecuador.”
DHS reported that law enforcement efforts have intensified in Minnesota, resulting in over 1,000 arrests of individuals identified as murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and gang members. In Minneapolis alone, more than 150 people were arrested recently.
Some notable arrests include individuals from Laos, Liberia, Vietnam, El Salvador, Mexico, and Ecuador with convictions or charges ranging from homicide and sexual assault to drug offenses.
