ERO Salt Lake City arrests 13 foreign nationals convicted of violent crimes during nationwide operation

SALT LAKE CITY - Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Salt Lake City apprehended 13 removable noncitizens identified as having been convicted of assault, arson, burglary, battery, felony lewdness, felony sexual coercion, conspiracy to commit a crime and cruelty to animals during a nationwide enforcement effort from March 4 to March 13.

Those arrested include:

• A 44-year-old citizen of El Salvador in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 7. The Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, convicted him for the offense of open or gross lewdness, a felony, for which he was sentenced to 364 days in jail.
• A 40-year-old citizen of Mexico in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 7. The Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, convicted him for the offense of attempted lewdness with a child under the age of 16, a felony, for which he was sentenced to a prison term of 48 months.
• A 39-year-old citizen of Mexico in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 8. The Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, convicted him for the offense of coercion sexually motivated, a felony, for which he was sentenced to a prison term of 72 months.
• A 31-year-old citizen of Burma in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 9. The Eighth District Court in Uintah County, Utah, convicted him for the offenses of burglary, aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm — all felonies for which he was released on supervised probation for 36 months.
• A 31-year-old citizen of Burma in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 9. The Eighth District Court in Uintah County, Utah, convicted him for the offenses of burglary, aggravated assault and discharge of a firearm all felonies, for which he was sentenced to up to 5 years in prison.
• A 24-year-old citizen of Mexico in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 8. The Eighth Judicial District Court of Clark County, Nevada, convicted him for the offense of open or gross lewdness, a felony, for which he was sentenced to a prison term of 48 months.

ICE targets and arrests noncitizens who have committed crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. ICE officers, informed by their experience and training, use their discretion inherent as law enforcement officials to focus enforcement resources on people who threaten the homeland. The effort includes noncitizens with a final order of removal. Cases amenable to federal criminal prosecution may be presented to the appropriate U.S. attorney’s office.

In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses; 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses; 5,554 weapons offenses; 1,501 homicide-related offenses; and 1,114 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 crimes and 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 @EROSaltLakeCity.