On Presidents’ Day, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted arrests of several individuals identified as criminal illegal aliens who had been convicted of crimes such as false imprisonment, sexual assault, and strangulation.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated, “While Americans celebrated Presidents’ Day, the heroic men and women of ICE law enforcement arrested more convicted criminals from our communities. Yesterday’s arrests included gang members, rapists, and violent offenders. We won’t let anything slow us down from arresting and removing criminals from American neighborhoods—not even a federal holiday. Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.”
Among those arrested were Henri Bladimir Mendez-Mejia from El Salvador, an 18th Street gang member convicted for false imprisonment and firearm possession in Los Angeles; Hector Rafael Taveras-Nunez from the Dominican Republic, convicted for fourth-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child in Danbury, Connecticut; Alixon Leonardo Bracho-Rodriguez from Venezuela, convicted for assault, battery, and strangulation in Albemarle, Virginia; Blendrick Miller from the Bahamas, convicted for malicious wounding in South Charleston, West Virginia; and Richard Alexander Fernandez-Moncada from Cuba, convicted for alien smuggling and illegal entry into the United States in Texas.
The agency encourages the public to view additional information about recent arrests on its WOW.DHS.Gov webpage.
