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November 21, 2022Los Angeles, CA, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

21 noncitizen sex offenders apprehended in Los Angeles area during national ICE operation targeting unlawfully present sexual predators

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Los Angeles Field Office arrested 21 noncitizen sex offenders from Oct. 22 to Nov. 4 during a national operation targeting unlawfully present individuals who were previously convicted of sex offenses.

The arrests were made under Operation SOAR (Sex Offender Arrest and Removal), a coordinated fugitive operations initiative that prioritizes the arrest and removal of unlawfully present convicted sex offenders.

“The 21 individuals taken into custody represent the most heinous criminal activity facing our communities and our children. ERO Los Angeles’ fugitive operation officers will doggedly pursue any noncitizen that choses to not only flout U.S. immigration laws but seek to take predatory action against vulnerable children,” said ERO Los Angeles Field Office Director Thomas Giles.

ERO Los Angeles made the following SOAR arrests during the operation:

  • On Oct. 27, a 65-year-old Mexican national convicted of two counts of felony lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old in Anaheim, California
  • On Nov. 3, a 45-year-old Mexican national convicted of felony lewd act upon a child in Canoga Park, California
  • On Nov. 3, a 58-year-old Mexican national convicted of felony assault to commit rape in Perris, California
  • On Nov. 4, a 45-year-old Mexican national convicted of felony contact with a minor with intent to commit sex and felony indecent exposure to a minor in Riverside, California

ICE officers make case decisions in a responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement professionals and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland. They apply prosecutorial discretion when making such decisions, as do law enforcement officers in different agencies and offices throughout the nation.

Noncitizens placed into removal proceedings receive their legal due process from federal immigration judges in the immigration courts, which are administered by the Executive Office for Immigration Review. EOIR is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice and is separate from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case. ICE officers carry out the removal decisions made by federal immigration judges.

In fiscal year 2021, ERO conducted 74,082 administrative arrests of noncitizens, which included 12,025 individuals with aggravated felony convictions. Offenses associated with noncitizens arrested in FY 2021 included 1,506 homicide related offenses, 3,415 sexual assaults, 19,549 assaults, 2,717 robberies and 1,063 kidnappings.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO Los Angeles’s mission to increase public safety in your community by following us on Twitter @EROLosAngeles.

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