The Department of Homeland Security identified 15 men it said had prior convictions for crimes including homicide, child sexual abuse, assault, and drug trafficking, including one San Antonio case
The Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 15 men over the weekend it described as convicted criminals in the country illegally, as part of its ongoing enforcement operations.
According to ICE, the arrests included one Texas case: Miguel Cadena-Gomez, a Mexican national the agency said was convicted of indecency with a child involving sexual contact and possession of a controlled substance in San Antonio.
The agency said the other arrests across the country included Jose Daniel Lara-Zavala, convicted of homicide and DUI in Wilson, North Carolina; Armando Valle-Santana, convicted of sexual assault of a child and witness tampering in Adams County, Colorado; Martin Gutierrez-Gaona, convicted of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and other offenses in Los Angeles; Odelio Lopez-Lopez, convicted of aggravated family assault, child cruelty, and burglary in California; Natanio Jimenez-Garcia, convicted of aggravated rape and fraud in Louisiana; Nicolas Godinez-Andres, convicted of felony assault in Arlington, Virginia; Jose Francisco Ramirez, convicted of assault with a deadly weapon causing great bodily injury in San Joaquin, California; and Juan Jesus Ramirez-Jimenez, convicted of attempted rape and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Salinas, California.
The agency said the remaining arrests included Benancio Merino-Martinez, convicted of first-degree cruelty to children in Brunswick, Georgia; Carlos Augusto Melendez-Reales, a Colombian national convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Tampa, Florida; Crescencio Rodelo-Felix, convicted of cocaine trafficking in Randolph County, North Carolina; Rafael Fernandez-Romero Flores, a Peruvian national convicted of a controlled-substance offense in Farmington, Utah; Agustin Rodriguez, a Cuban national convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine in Miami-Dade County, Florida; and Carl Winston Ellis, a Jamaican national convicted of a distribution offense and illegal re-entry in Las Vegas.
The agency said the arrests reflect its continued effort to remove people with criminal convictions from U.S. communities. In a statement, Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said ICE officers had arrested individuals the agency considers public safety threats.
ICE did not provide further detail on the dates or circumstances of the arrests. Anyone with information about a crime or a person sought by immigration authorities can contact ICE’s tip line at 1-866-347-2423.
