ERO Detroit arrests multiple sex offenders arrested during national operation

DETROIT — Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit Field Office apprehended six unlawfully present noncitizens convicted of sex offenses during a nationwide enforcement effort Oct. 22 through Nov. 4. The law enforcement action ERO conducted resulted in a total of 138 arrests nationally, including some with an executable final order of removal.

This enforcement operation was implemented to address unlawfully present noncitizens convicted of sex offenses. Cases amenable to federal criminal prosecution may be presented to the appropriate U.S. attorney’s office. Individuals listed here will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.

Arrested in the Detroit Field Office area of responsibility, which includes Michigan and Ohio:

• A 33-year-old citizen of Bhutan in Cincinnati, convicted by the Butler County Court of Common Pleas of felony gross sexual imposition and misdemeanor sexual imposition.
• A 28-year-old citizen of Democratic Republic of the Congo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, convicted by the 17th Judicial Circuit Court for Kent County on two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.
• A 40-year-old citizen of the Dominican Republic in Columbus, Ohio, convicted by the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas of felony pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.
• A 39-year-old citizen of Mexico in Grand Rapids, Michigan, convicted by the 17th Judicial Circuit Court for Kent County of possession of child sex abuse material and surveilling an unclothed person.
• A 37-year-old citizen of Mexico in Cincinnati, convicted by the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas of six counts of felony gross sexual imposition.
• A 24-year-old citizen of Cameroon in Troy, Michigan, convicted by the 6th Circuit Court in Pontiac, Michigan of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

ICE officers make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis in a professional and responsible manner, informed by their experience as law enforcement officials and in a way that best protects against the greatest threats to the homeland. ICE officers apply prosecutorial discretion when making apprehension and removal decisions, as do law enforcement officers in different agencies and offices throughout the country.

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 federal immigration judges make.

In fiscal year 2021, ERO arrested 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.

ICE’s ERO directorate upholds U.S. immigration law at, within and beyond our borders. ERO's work is critical to the enforcement of immigration law against those who present a danger to our national security, are a threat to public safety, or who otherwise undermine the integrity of our immigration system. ERO operations target public safety threats, such as convicted criminal noncitizens and gang members, as well as individuals who have otherwise violated our nation's immigration laws, including those who illegally reentered the country after being removed and immigration fugitives ordered removed by federal immigration judges. ERO deportation officers assigned to Interpol also assist in targeting and apprehending foreign fugitives or Fugitive Arrest and Removal cases who are wanted for crimes committed abroad and who are now at-large in the United States. ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including identification and arrest, domestic transportation, detention, bond management, and supervised release, including alternatives to detention. In addition, ERO removes noncitizens ordered removed from the U.S. to more than 170 countries around the world.

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

Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in your community on Twitter @ERODetroit.