ERO Chicago arrests 28 noncitizen sex offenders during nationwide law enforcement effort

CHICAGO — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago arrested 28 noncitizens with sex offense convictions during a nationwide law enforcement effort that netted 275 noncitizen sex offenders. The operation ran from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16.

“These noncitizens continued to pose a threat to our most vulnerable population: children,” said ERO Chicago Field Office Director LaDeon Francis. “ERO Chicago officers across Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas continue to work tirelessly to remove these criminals from our communities.”

During this operation, ERO Chicago used an intelligence-driven enforcement model to target noncitizens who have committed egregious sex crimes while in violation our nation’s immigration laws.

Notable arrests include:

• A 31-year-old national of Burma in Indianapolis, Indiana, who was convicted of felony sexual misconduct with a minor.
• A 27-year-old national of Ecuador arrested in Chicago who was convicted of felony predatory criminal sexual assault, victim under 13.
• A 57-year-old German national arrested in Decatur who was convicted of possession of child sexual abuse material.
• A 39-year-old Honduran national arrested in Madison, Wisconsin, who was convicted of felony second-degree sexual assault of child.

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). 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 the federal immigration judges.

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.

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.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form. Learn more about ERO Chicago’s mission to preserve public safety on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROChicago.