ERO Washington, D.C. apprehends 8 noncitizen sex offenders during national ICE operation

WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Washington, D.C. arrested eight 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.

“All of the noncitizens we apprehended during this operation represented threats to the members of our Washington, D.C. and Virginia communities,” said ERO Washington, D.C. Field Office Director Liana Castano. “They were all previously convicted of sexual offenses; some of those were against children. ERO Washington, D.C. will continue to work tirelessly to remove such threats from our neighborhoods.”

By using an intelligence-driven enforcement model, ERO Washington, D.C. makes efficient use of limited resources to promote public safety in communities across throughout Washington, D.C. and Virginia.

ERO Washington, D.C. made the following apprehensions:

• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Special Response Team arrested a 44-year-old Mexican national on Feb. 7 in Manassas, Virginia. In July 2008, the Prince William County Juvenile Domestic Relations Court convicted the noncitizen of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor. The unlawfully present noncitizen had been previously removed from the United States.
• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Mobile Criminal Apprehension Team arrested a 32-year-old Honduran national on Feb. 8 in Springfield, Virginia. In September 2021, the Prince William County Juvenile Domestic Relations Court convicted the noncitizen of misdemeanor sexual battery.
• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Mobile Criminal Apprehension Team arrested a 26-year-old Salvadoran national on Feb. 9 in Herndon, Virginia. In December 2023, the Loudoun County Juvenile Domestic Relations Court in Leesburg convicted the noncitizen of misdemeanor consensual sexual intercourse with child over 15.
• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Mobile Criminal Apprehension Team arrested a 24-year-old Honduran national on Feb. 9 in Washington, D.C. In March 2023, the Superior Court for the District of Columbia convicted the noncitizen of sexual abuse of a child or minor and, in a separate charge, misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child or minor.
• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Criminal Apprehension Team arrested a 50-year-old Peruvian national on Feb. 9 in Manassas, Virginia. In September 2022, the Prince William County Circuit Court convicted the noncitizen of felony possession of child sexual abuse material and sentenced him to 5 years.
• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Special Response Team arrested a 50 a -year-old Salvadoran national on Feb. 13 in Alexandria, Virginia. In January 2024, the Alexandria Circuit Court convicted the noncitizen of felony possession of obscene material with a minor.
• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested a 27-year-old Honduran national on Feb. 13 in Manassas. In December 2021, the Prince William County Circuit Court convicted the noncitizen of misdemeanor sexual battery.
• ERO Washington, D.C.’s Mobile Criminal Apprehension Team arrested a 26-year-old Honduran national on Feb. 16 in Alexandria, Virginia. In February 2019, the Fairfax County Circuit Court convicted the noncitizen of felony carnal knowledge of a child.

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.

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 crimes and suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

Learn more about ERO Washington, D.C.’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @EROWashington.