The Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement spent the weekend carrying out another series of arrests targeting criminal illegal aliens, with officials highlighting a group they described as among the “worst of the worst.”
In a news release issued this week, DHS detailed the arrests of 15 illegal aliens who had previously been convicted of serious crimes ranging from murder to child sexual exploitation, aggravated assault, sexual battery, and drug trafficking. The department accompanied the announcement with photographs and summaries of each individual’s criminal record.
Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis praised the work of ICE agents, emphasizing that enforcement efforts continued while much of the country was enjoying the weekend.
“While Americans were enjoying their weekends, the men and women of ICE law enforcement were working around the clock to arrest criminal illegal aliens convicted for murder, child sexual abuse, assault, and drug trafficking,” Bis said.
The announcement also reflected what appears to be a shift in the administration’s public messaging on immigration enforcement. During the 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump repeatedly promised what he described as the largest deportation operation in American history. Earlier this year, however, he indicated that he wanted immigration enforcement to take a “softer touch,” with greater emphasis placed on removing illegal aliens who have committed crimes.
Bis echoed that priority in her statement.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Markwayne Mullin, ICE will continue to make America safe again and remove criminal illegal aliens,” she said. “Nearly 70 percent of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.”
Among those arrested over the weekend was Omar Alejandro Radillo-Gonzalez, who was convicted of second-degree murder in California.
ICE also arrested several illegal aliens convicted of crimes involving the sexual exploitation or abuse of children. Those identified by DHS included Rafael Aquino-Mateo of Mexico, Jimmy Alberto Castro-Rodriguez of Nicaragua, Jesus Huizar-Macias of Mexico, Santos Anaya-Alday of Mexico, and Naif Jamal Aldossary of Saudi Arabia.
The remaining arrests involved individuals convicted of offenses including aggravated assault, sexual battery, and drug-related crimes.
The enforcement operation comes as ICE agents have encountered an increasing number of dangerous confrontations during arrests.
On Monday in Maine, an ICE agent reportedly shot and killed a driver who resisted arrest. According to a witness, the driver attempted to use his vehicle to run over the agent before shots were fired.
A similar incident occurred last week in Houston, Texas. According to an ICE statement, agents fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo after he “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer,” prompting the officer to fire in self-defense.
