Statement by ICE on a person of interest being held in connection with the California fires

LOS ANGELES – Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, aka Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, Juan Leva, Leyva Moniker, and Juan Sierra, is a Mexican national who entered the U.S. unlawfully at an unknown date and location without inspection by an immigration official. Sierra has multiple encounters with law enforcement from November 2016 to present for a variety of charges and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon Oct. 10, 2023, in Van Nuys, California. Sierra was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department Jan. 10 on a felony probation violation. Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations placed an immigration detainer on Sierra Jan. 12.

ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and 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.