ERO Seattle arrests 11 noncitizens with criminal convictions during national operation

SEATTLE — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Seattle arrested 11 noncitizens as part of a national operation that ran from Aug. 4 through 25. Officers focused enforcement efforts on priority fugitive noncitizens and priority noncitizens previously removed from the United States who reentered the country illegally; specifically, those identified as having a criminal conviction for certain felonies or convictions for other crimes including but not limited to murder for hire, manslaughter, sex crimes against children, assault with a firearm, battery, domestic violence, drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence.

All arrests took place in the assigned ERO Seattle states of Alaska, Washington and Oregon, though criminal histories may include convictions in courts in other parts of the United States.

Those arrested include:

• A 25-year-old citizen of Honduras in Seattle, convicted by the King County Superior Court of controlled substance possession with intent to manufacture or deliver cocaine, receiving a sentence of 14 months of confinement in February 2021. An immigration judge previously ordered the subject's removal, and they will remain in ICE custody pending those proceedings.
• A 32-year-old citizen of Ecuador in Shoreline, convicted by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington of conspiracy to distribute heroin, receiving a sentence of 12 months and one day in prison in September 2017. The subject has been previously ordered to be removed by an immigration judge and will remain in ICE custody pending removal.
• A 47-year-old citizen of Mexico Gladstone, Oregon, convicted by the Superior Court of California for the County of Los Angeles of sexual battery of a medically incapacitated person, receiving a sentence of 270 days jail and five years of probation in March 2008. The subject has been previously ordered to be removed by an immigration judge, and will remain in ICE custody pending removal.

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.

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 by following us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EROSeattle.