WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than a dozen convicted criminal illegal aliens across the country over the weekend, including a Houston man convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a release from the agency.
Rajubhai Patel, a criminal illegal alien from India, was convicted for conspiracy to commit money laundering in Houston, according to ICE.
The Houston arrest was part of a broader weekend operation that ICE said targeted individuals convicted of murder, sexual assault of a child, rape, and other violent crimes in communities nationwide. Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the agency’s officers “worked around the clock to arrest the worst of the worst, including murderers, rapists, violent assailants, drug traffickers, and other public safety threats,” adding that under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, ICE is targeting the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens in the country.
Among those arrested were two men convicted of murder. Hiep Ngoc Nguyen, from Vietnam, was convicted of first-degree murder in Lexington, Oklahoma, and Truc Ngoc Tran, also from Vietnam, was convicted of murder, driving while intoxicated, and aggravated assault in Santa Ana, California.
Several arrests involved convictions for sexual offenses against children. Eduardo Jose Lacayo-Alvarado, a Nicaraguan national, was convicted of rape, sodomy with a person under 14, and false imprisonment in San Mateo, California. Juan Baldemar Figueroa-Lopez, from Guatemala, was convicted of sexual assault of a child in Denver, and Fabio Junior Dos Santos, from Brazil, was convicted of aggravated assault with a dangerous weapon against a child under 14 in Gardner, Massachusetts. Qasim Abdul Qayum, a Pakistani national, was convicted of enticing a minor by internet or text in Salt Lake City. Jeferson Mejia-Diaz, from El Salvador, was convicted of attempted sexual assault in Washoe County, Nevada.
Other arrests cited by ICE involved violent assault convictions. Rafael Flores-Aguilar, from El Salvador, was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury in Guilford County, North Carolina. Tuoc Ba Dinh, from Vietnam, was convicted of aggravated assault with intent to murder in Madison Heights, Michigan. Jorge Velazquez-De La Cruz, from Mexico, was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, driving under the influence, and corporal injury to a spouse in San Luis Obispo, California. Roberto Suarez-Friot, from Cuba, was convicted of aggravated battery and resisting an officer, along with criminal mischief, in Tampa, Florida. Jose Luis Rauda-Diaz, from El Salvador, was convicted of aggravated robbery and two counts of weapons possession in Emporia, Kansas.
ICE also cited drug trafficking convictions among the weekend arrests. Esteban Garcia-Vasquez, from Mexico, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, along with battery, hit-and-run, and illegal re-entry charges, in Whitfield County, Georgia. Jesus Huerta-Padilla, also from Mexico, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance in Knoxville, Tennessee.
ICE encourages the public to report suspicious criminal activity by calling 1-866-347-2423.
