ERO Baltimore apprehends 8 noncitizen sex offenders during national ICE operation

BALTIMORE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore arrested eight noncitizens with sex offense convictions during a nationwide law enforcement effort that netted 275 noncitizen sex offenders. The nationwide operation ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.

“These apprehensions represent the hard work that the men and women of ERO Baltimore manage every day to keep our Maryland communities safe from noncitizen sex offenders,” said ERO Baltimore Field Office Director Darius Reeves. “Every one of these unlawfully present sex offenders represented a significant threat to the residents of Maryland. ERO Baltimore will continue to prioritize public safety by working tirelessly to arrest and remove such threats from our neighborhoods.”

The announcement follows a nationwide enforcement effort in February where 275 individuals presenting significant threats to public safety were arrested. By using an intelligence-driven enforcement model, ERO Baltimore makes efficient use of limited resources to promote public safety in communities across throughout the state of Maryland.

During the operation, ERO Baltimore made the following apprehensions:

• ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested a 20-year-old national of Cameroon Feb. 6 in Silver Spring. The District Court for Jefferson County in Watertown, New York, convicted the noncitizen in October 2023 of rape in the second degree and criminal sexual act in the second degree.
• ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested a 24-year-old national of El Salvador Feb. 6 in Bladensburg. The Circuit Court for Prince George’s County in Upper Marlboro convicted the noncitizen in September 2022 of assault in the second degree, which the court reduced from sex offense in the third degree, and sex offense in the fourth degree.
• ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested a 32-year-old national of Guatemala Feb. 6 in Hyattsville. The Circuit Court for Montgomery County in Rockville convicted the noncitizen in August 2023 of a third-degree sex offense.
• ERO Baltimore’s Criminal Apprehension Program arrested a 25-year old national of El Salvador Feb. 6 in Annapolis. The Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County in Annapolis convicted the noncitizen in October 2023 of sex offense in the fourth degree-sexual contact.
• ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested a 58-year-old citizen and national of El Salvador Feb. 9 in Gaithersburg. The Marion County Circuit Court in Salem, Oregon, convicted the noncitizen in April 2013 of sex abuse in the first degree and sodomy in the first degree.
• ERO Baltimore’s Criminal Apprehension Program arrested a 28-year-old national of Ethiopia Feb. 13 in Silver Spring. The Circuit Court for Montgomery County in Rockville convicted the noncitizen in February 2023 of second-degree rape and a third-degree sex offense.
• ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested a 21-year-old national of Brazil Feb. 14 in Elkridge. The Circuit Court for Howard County in Ellicott City convicted the noncitizen in November 2023 of possession child sexual abuse material.
• ERO Baltimore’s Criminal Apprehension Program arrested a 37-year-old citizen of Honduras Feb. 15 in Baltimore. The Circuit Court for Baltimore County in Towson convicted the noncitizen in November 2023 of sex offense fourth degree-sexual contact and assault in the second degree.

All the noncitizens apprehended will remain in ERO custody pending the outcome of their removal proceedings. Those noncitizens with prior removal orders will remain in ERO custody pending their removal from the United States.

To date, ERO Baltimore has arrested 67 noncitizen sex offenders during fiscal year 2024. During fiscal year 2023, ERO Baltimore apprehended 152 noncitizen sex offenders.

ERO officers evaluate individuals on a case-by-case basis, assessing the totality of the facts and circumstances to make informed arrest determinations. Those cases amenable to federal criminal prosecution can be presented to the U.S. attorney's office. ERO also coordinates with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to evaluate the completion of relevant noncitizen applications.

ERO conducts removals of individuals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States, including at the order of immigration judges with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). EOIR is a separate entity from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE. Immigration judges in these courts make decisions based on the merits of each individual case, determining if a noncitizen is subject to a final order of removal or eligible for certain forms of relief from removal.

In fiscal year 2023, ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with criminal histories; this group had 290,178 associated charges and convictions with an average of four per individual. These included 33,209 assaults; 4,390 sex and sexual assaults; 7,520 weapons offenses; 1,713 charges or convictions for homicide; and 1,655 kidnapping offenses.

As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the ICE online tip form.

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our Maryland communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROBaltimore.