Category: Immigration and customs enforcement
‘Truly sick individuals’: ICE arrests convicted murderer and sexual predators
On Monday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents nabbed several criminal illegal aliens whom Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin described as “truly sick individuals.”
A DHS press release, obtained exclusively by Blaze News, highlighted ICE’s recent arrest of five illegal immigrants across the country who were taken into federal custody.
‘We will not allow criminal illegal aliens to roam free in our communities and terrorize innocent Americans.’
These individuals have been “convicted of voluntary manslaughter, lewd battery on a child, attempted statutory rape of a child, and other horrific crimes,” the press release read.
The DHS stated that nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens with prior criminal charges or convictions.
Immigration officers captured Rodolfo Sanchez, an illegal alien from Mexico who was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter and burglary of a building in Houston, Texas.
RELATED: Woman claims ICE wrongfully detained her for 30 hours — now a sheriff is suing her for defamation
Rodolfo Sanchez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE agents nabbed Jose Rivera-Orta, a 56-year-old illegal alien from Cuba who was convicted of lewd/lascivious battery on a child 12 to 15 years old in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Jose Rivera-Orta. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Federal agents arrested Jacobo Pablo-Ramirez, an illegal alien from Guatemala. His rap sheet includes a conviction for attempted statutory rape of a child in Duplin County, North Carolina.
Jacobo Pablo-Ramirez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Daniel Garces-Flores, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was captured by ICE. He was previously convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Hidalgo County, Texas.
Daniel Garces-Flores. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Immigration agents also arrested Derekson Lett, an illegal alien from Grenada who was convicted of robbery in Staten Island, New York. A local report from SILive.com stated that in 2015, Lett, who was 26 years old at the time, had tried to rob a prostitute who was allegedly fatally shot by Lett’s accomplice in a motel. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Derekson Lett. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
“Yesterday, ICE arrested some truly sick individuals, including murderers, pedophiles, sexual predators, and violent thugs,” Mullin stated. “Nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. We will not allow criminal illegal aliens to roam free in our communities and terrorize innocent Americans.”
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Thug accused of killing woman in Florida hammer attack is Haitian illegal alien protected from deportation under Biden: DHS
The male accused of killing a woman in a Florida hammer attack last week is a Haitian illegal alien who was protected from deportation under former President Joe Biden’s administration, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
As Blaze News previously reported, a 40-year-old male is accused of hitting a woman in the head with a hammer and killing her in a horrific attack recorded on surveillance video outside a Fort Myers gas station convenience store.
‘Not only did the Biden administration release him into the country, but they then gave him Temporary Protected Status.’
DHS said the suspect in the attack “first entered the United States in August 2022 and was released into the country under the Biden administration. A federal judge issued a final order of removal against him in 2022, but the Biden administration granted him Temporary Protected Status, which expired in 2024.”
“This illegal alien barbarically hit this woman in the head multiple times with a hammer. This heinous murderer was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration. Not only did the Biden administration release him into the country, but they then gave him Temporary Protected Status,” said Lauren Bis, acting assistant secretary at the DHS Office of Public Affairs. “Their reckless immigration policies cost this woman her life.”
Image source: Department of Homeland Security
DHS said Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer against the suspect, and he will be deported regardless of the outcome of his case.
Notably, both Fort Myers Police as well as the Lee County Sheriff’s Office spell the suspect’s name Rolbert Joachin, while DHS originally spelled it Rolbert Joachim. The reason for the spelling discrepancy is unclear, but Fort Myers Police on Wednesday confirmed to Blaze News that “the correct spelling is Joachin.” DHS on Wednesday later updated its website to the spelling Joachin.
Joachin on Wednesday remained behind bars at the Lee County Jail on charges of homicide (murder dangerous depraved without premeditation) and criminal mischief. There is no bond listed for him in jail records.
Gulf Coast News on Wednesday reported that Joachin gave a detailed confession to detectives following his arrest and indicated that he went to the gas station last week specifically to kill the victim — a gas station clerk identified as Nilufa Easmin, also known as Yasmin. The outlet added in a video report that Easmin was the mother of two daughters.
More from Gulf Coast News:
Joachin told detectives he wore the same clothes that Yasmin had seen him in two days earlier so that she would recognize him, court notes said. He then said he intentionally smashed her car with a hammer so that she would come outside.
Surveillance video from the store captured the attack. In the video, Joachin reportedly smashed her car’s windshield. The surveillance video then shows the clerk coming outside. Joachin then approaches the victim and is accused of hitting her in the head with the hammer, killing her.
The following video report about the killing aired prior to the news about the suspect’s immigration status.
What’s more, detectives said Joachin is a suspect in another case they have been working on for months, Gulf Coast News reported, adding that specifics about the case were not revealed.
The outlet added in a Wednesday video report concerning the suspect’s pretrial detention motion hearing that the judge ruled Joachin will remain in jail with no bond until trial because he’s too dangerous to be released to the public; his next court appearance — his arraignment — is scheduled for May 4.
The Miami Herald reported that the Trump administration has been “fiercely litigating in the courts to end [Temporary Protected Status] for Haiti and several other countries.” The paper added that an appeals court in March upheld TPS for Haitians, which upheld a ruling from Washington, D.C., U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, “but the administration asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the case days later.”
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, referring to the killing of the Fort Myers gas station clerk, wrote on X that “this horrific murder was preventable. Even as Florida arrests hundreds of criminal aliens every day, four years of the Biden admin’s open-border policies continue to wreak havoc on our communities. Members of Congress pushing for amnesty should be ashamed. There is no dignity in allowing more American victims at the hands of those who have no right to be in our country.”
Jeremy Redfern, deputy chief of staff for Uthmeier, added on X that “U.S. District Court Judge Ana Reyes said that ending TPS for Haitians was racist, and she blocked the attempt. Oral arguments over whether SCOTUS should stay Judge Reyes’ order happening on April 29th. So, here we are.”
Editor’s note: This article has been edited after publication to note that DHS now spells the name Joachin.
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ICE rounds up kidnapper and child predator: ‘Thugs have no place in our communities’
A kidnapper and a child predator were apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Monday, according to a press release obtained by Blaze News.
The Department of Homeland Security, which has been tracking and sharing the “worst of the worst” immigration enforcement arrests at wow.dhs.gov, reported that ICE has nabbed more “heinous criminals.”
‘Seventy percent of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the US.’
“While sanctuary politicians and Hollywood were vilifying our law enforcement, our officers we were arresting kidnappers, pedophiles, and drug traffickers,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
The DHS highlighted four of ICE’s arrests from Monday.
The department stated that federal immigration agents captured Armando Miguel Hernandez-Valdez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico. Hernandez-Valdez was previously convicted in St. George, Utah, for kidnapping, possession of a controlled substance, and escape.
Armando Miguel Hernandez-Valdez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
ICE nabbed Carlos Martinez, a Salvadoran national with a prior conviction in Dallas County, Texas, for aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years old.
Carlos Martinez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Immigration officers captured Freddy Railandy Medina-Cruz, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic who was previously convicted for crimes in multiple states, including drug trafficking in Massachusetts, fraud in Michigan, and re-entry of a removed alien in Florida.
Freddy Railandy Medina-Cruz. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
The DHS also highlighted the arrest of Jianqiao Lu, a Chinese national who was convicted of criminal possession of an assault weapon in New York. According to a 2023 article from the Hudson Valley Post, Lu initially faced a 113-count felony indictment after police allegedly discovered over a dozen illegally owned firearms.
RELATED: ‘Target their families’: Fetterman slams Democrats’ absurd ICE demands, cites doxxing concerns
Jianqiao Lu. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
“These thugs have no place in our communities. Seventy percent of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.,” McLaughlin stated. “This statistic doesn’t even include foreign fugitives, terrorists, and gang members who lack a rap sheet in the U.S. With every arrest, we are making America safe again.”
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Seattle’s sanctuary mayor orders local police to investigate ICE activities
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson (D) on Thursday announced several measures to prepare for a potential increase in federal immigration enforcement activities in the city.
‘The biggest losers are the people she was elected to serve.’
The mayor’s office aims to “protect city residents” from immigration enforcement activities, a press release from the city reads. Wilson’s office stated that it had “no information indicating a surge” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection agents in the area. However, it claimed there is a “critical” need to prepare, citing the “increased activity over the last year” and the “unpredictable, chaotic, and violent behavior of the federal government.”
As part of these efforts, Wilson declared that she is directing the Seattle Police Department to investigate, verify, and document immigration enforcement activity with “in-car and body-worn video.” Local police will also be required to verify federal agents’ official identification and “secure scenes of potentially unlawful acts to gather evidence for transmittal to prosecutors.”
The SPD will share this information for other city departments and “trusted” local organizations “to ensure everyone has the latest and most accurate information.”
Additionally, Wilson plans to issue an executive order prohibiting federal immigration agents from using city-owned or controlled property for their law enforcement activities. The mayor has called on other local government bodies to take similar action against ICE.
Residents are encouraged to post signs on their properties indicating that federal agents may not enter without a warrant.
RELATED: Fraud thrived under Democrats’ no-questions-asked rule
Photo by Rio Giancarlo/Getty Images
Wilson has also announced that the city will invest $4 million in taxpayer funds to support organizations providing community services and legal defense assistance to immigrants.
“Whoever you are, and wherever you come from: If Seattle is your home, then this is your city,” Wilson stated. “And it’s our responsibility as city leaders to move quickly and get organized so we can keep people safe. That is why I am taking immediate steps today to bar federal agents from using city property for federal civil immigration enforcement activity, update SPD protocols, and support trusted community partners to aid the community response, which is our most powerful tool.”
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes declared that local law enforcement agents are “here to keep you safe, regardless of your immigration status.”
“The City of Seattle is a welcoming city, and my officers will continue to abide by all laws and regulations that prohibit our participation in immigration enforcement. While we have no authority over federal agents or federal policies, we will document incidents if and when notified. The Seattle Police Department’s primary responsibility is the life safety of ALL people,” Barnes said.
Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images
The Seattle Police Officers Guild president, Mike Solan, pushed back on Wilson’s directive, stating that the union would not force its members to comply, calling the mayor’s announcement “toothless virtue signaling rhetoric.”
“The concept of pitting two armed law enforcement agencies against each other is ludicrous, and will not happen,” Solan said. “I will not allow SPOG members to be used as political pawns.”
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told MyNorthwest that Wilson’s actions were “legally illiterate.”
“Enforcing federal immigration laws is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II, and the Supremacy Clause,” the spokesperson stated. “While this Seattle sanctuary politician continues to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto the streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make Seattle safe again.”
“How does this serve the people of Seattle? The biggest losers are the people she was elected to serve,” the spokesperson added.
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Biden Judge Rejects Minnesota’s Request To End ICE Operation
Biden Judge Rejects Minnesota’s Request To End ICE Operation
Illegal alien ‘monster’ accused of throwing rock into school bus, fracturing skull of young girl placed on ICE detainer: Feds
A criminal illegal alien accused of throwing a baseball-sized rock into a New Jersey school bus and fracturing the skull of an 8-year-old girl was placed on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, the Department of Homeland Security said earlier this week.
The DHS, citing local reports, said the school bus was traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike to Yeshivat Noam — a local Jewish day school — after a field trip at Liberty Science Center on Jan. 7.
‘We hope New Jersey’s sanctuary politicians will help us keep him off American streets for good.’
Officials said Hernando Garcia-Morales of Mexico threw a rock at the vehicle, breaking a window and hitting the third-grade student, who was forced to have surgery.
The DHS said two days later — Jan. 9 — New Jersey Turnpike State Police arrested Garcia-Morales for aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and possession of a weapon. The Bogota (New Jersey) Police Department also charged him for aggravated assault, criminal trespassing-defiant, criminal trespassing-peering, and criminal mischief-damage property, DHS said.
NJ.com added that Garcia-Morales was found in a self-made campsite within Old Croaker County Park in Bergen County.
Garcia-Morales has had an extensive criminal history while living in sanctuary state New Jersey, the DHS said, noting that he was arrested for burglary in 2023 and for possession of a weapon and theft in 2006.
In addition, the investigation also linked him to multiple rock-throwing incidents in Bogota Borough, NJ.com reported, citing state police.
Garcia-Morales has since been placed in ICE custody, NJ.com added.
DHS said Garcia-Morales entered the United States on an unknown date.
“Violently targeting a school bus full of children is extremely wicked and heinous,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who called the suspect a “monster.”
“Hernando Garcia-Morales should have never been in this country, let alone released, after multiple arrests, into New Jersey communities,” McLaughlin also said, adding that “we hope New Jersey’s sanctuary politicians will help us keep him off American streets for good. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, criminal illegal aliens have no place in the U.S.”
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‘That’s Gross’: Philadelphia DA’s Rhetoric Against ICE Too Extreme For Fetterman
‘I think we should stand down’
Trump Criticizes Alex Pretti For Having Gun Amid Fatal Border Patrol Confrontation
‘shouldn’t have been carrying a gun’
Minnesota’s ‘worst of the worst’: DHS highlights arrests of repeat offenders, violent criminals in Operation Metro Surge
The Department of Homeland Security highlighted several of Monday’s “worst of the worst” arrests in Minnesota.
As part of the DHS’ Operation Metro Surge, federal authorities have captured kidnappers, pedophiles, and other violent assailants, according to a press release obtained by Blaze News.
‘Our law enforcement officers are risking their lives to arrest these thugs — some RELEASED from Minnesota jails — and are saving countless American lives by getting these criminals out of our country.’
DHS reported last week that it had made 3,000 arrests over the last six weeks as part of the ongoing operation.
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) highlights more worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens arrested in Minnesota yesterday during Operation Metro Surge, including those convicted of kidnapping, child rape, assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, assault, and possession of fraudulent documents,” Tuesday’s release reads.
Among those arrested on Monday was Bee Yang, an illegal alien from Thailand. Yang was issued a final order of removal in 2015 after he was convicted of numerous crimes, including first-degree kidnapping, assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm, robbery with a dangerous weapon, breaking and entering, felony larceny, and larceny of a motor vehicle.
Bee Yang, Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Federal agents arrested Wilson Johny Encalada Molina, an illegal alien from Ecuador. He was issued a final order of removal in 2023 after he was charged with third-degree rape of a child under 17 years old, malicious punishment of a child, and endangering the welfare of a child.
Wilson Johny Encalada Molina. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Ian Mwangi Irungu, from Kenya, was also nabbed by immigration agents. He was previously convicted of selling heroin and dangerous drugs.
Ian Mwangi Irungu. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Melvin Yobany Hernandez Espana, from Honduras, was previously convicted of assault.
Melvin Yobany Hernandez Espana. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Immigration agents captured Sergio Quintero Romero, an illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal from 2012. He was previously apprehended by law enforcement three times for illegally entering the U.S. Romero was also accused of attempting to defraud the immigration system by presenting a fraudulent lawful permanent resident card to an immigration official.
Sergio Quintero Romero. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
Federal law enforcement officials also nabbed Oliverio Otoniel Francisco-Esteban, an illegal alien from Mexico. He was issued a final order of removal in 2015. DHS reported that Francisco-Esteban has been removed from the U.S. five times, and he was previously convicted of three counts of driving under the influence of liquor, possessing fraudulent immigration documents, illegal entry, and re-entry. Francisco-Esteban currently has an outstanding warrant in Ohio for failure to appear.
Oliverio Otoniel Francisco-Esteban. Image source: Department of Homeland Security
“Just yesterday, DHS law enforcement arrested several repeat offenders including a criminal illegal alien convicted of kidnapping, robbery, felony larceny, and assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated in the Tuesday press release.
“Our law enforcement officers are risking their lives to arrest these thugs — some RELEASED from Minnesota jails — and are saving countless American lives by getting these criminals out of our country. 70% of all ICE arrests nationwide are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. Check out more of the worst of the worst we arrested in Minnesota at wow.dhs.gov/Minnesota,” McLaughlin added.
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