The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that several individuals described as violent criminal illegal aliens were arrested in Minnesota as part of Operation Metro Surge. The arrests, which took place yesterday, included people convicted of offenses such as sexual assault, drug trafficking, and domestic violence.
“DHS law enforcement continues to remove violent criminal illegal aliens from the streets of Minnesota. Just yesterday they arrested pedophiles, sexual predators, and drug traffickers in Minnesota,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Many of these public safety threats were released from Minnesota jails. We are calling on Governor Walz and Mayor Frey to honor the more than 1,360 detainers of the illegal aliens in Minnesota jails. Despite horrific smears and violent assaults against them, our officers continue to put their lives on the line to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
Among those arrested were Jose Eliborio Ocampo-Leon from Mexico, convicted for criminal sexual conduct with a victim under the age of 16; Rudy Alexander Pineda-Aguilar from Guatemala, convicted for criminal sexual conduct; Gerardo Sanchez-Acuna, convicted for drug trafficking; Jeffrey Alexander Roman-Rabanales from Guatemala, convicted for assault, domestic assault, and property damage; Salvador Salazar-Rivera from Mexico, convicted for domestic assault and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse; Ayro Ariel Mimbrera-Fernandez from Mexico, who has an outstanding federal arrest warrant for amphetamine sale and convictions for theft and driving while intoxicated; Maria Fernanda Velasco-Hurtado from Ecuador, convicted for theft; and Lleymi Sanchez-Valenzuela from Mexico, also convicted for theft.
The DHS called attention to its ongoing efforts to apprehend individuals considered threats to public safety. The agency urged state officials to cooperate with federal immigration detainers related to these cases.
A full list of recent arrests made during Operation Metro Surge can be found at wow.dhs.gov/Minnesota.
