News Releases and Statements

On Sept. 7, HSI Houston, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and various other federal, state and local law enforcement authorities announced charges brought against 39 individuals under the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative.

On Sept. 8, ICE's ERO Phoenix announced the arrests of 14 noncitizens during a statewide operation that ran from Aug. 28 through Sept. 1.

Officers focused enforcement efforts against priority removable fugitive noncitizens – specifically, those identified as having criminal convictions for crimes including, burglary, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug distribution or trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation, or unlawful possession or use of a firearm – as well as noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have re-entered the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

Ten human traffickers were arrested during the operation, including four documented gang members and six gang associates. All 10 individuals were arrested pursuant to federal arrest warrants and are charged with various crimes such as sex trafficking of minors, sex trafficking of minors by force and conspiracy to sex traffic minors.

Nina Buendia, Patricia Garcia, Kayloni Guerra, Ernesto Martin, Michael Cory Norris and Mount Vernon Robinson of Sells and Travis Lopez of Covered Wells were among those indicted.

Guest speakers included Luis Moreno Ocampo, Founding Chief Prosecutor, International Criminal Court and Former Deputy Prosecutor, Junta Trial in Argentina; The Honorable Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State; Eli Rosenbaum, Counselor for War Crimes Accountability, U.S. Department of Justice; Scott Johnston, Section Chief, Human Rights and Democracy, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control; Joseph Zogby, Staff Director and Democratic Chief Counsel, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary; Kimberly Stanton, Democratic Staff Director, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, U.S. House of Representatives; and Fredy Peccerelli, Executive Director, Forensic Anthropology Foundation of Guatemala.

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.

Individuals who lack a lawful basis to stay in the United States are ordered removed, consistent with U.S. law – all individuals who are removed have been screened for protection concerns.

In March, Ofelia Hernandez-Salas, 61, was arrested in Mexico pursuant to a U.S. request for her extradition and surrendered to U.S. authorities on Sept. 5 to face charges previously filed in the District of Arizona and unsealed in March. She made her scheduled initial appearance in federal court Sept. 6 in Phoenix, Arizona.

According to court documents, from February through March 28, 2023, González Montañez, recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, advertised, maintained and patronized a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity for profit. González Montañez also employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced the same child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing and transmitting child sexual abuse material.

Robert Anthony Thomas, 47, of Parkersburg, received the sentence Aug. 30 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia in Charleston. Thomas must also register as a sex offender.

Officers focused enforcement efforts against priority removable fugitive noncitizens — specifically, those identified as having criminal convictions for crimes including burglary, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug distribution or trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation, or unlawful possession or use of a firearm — as well as noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have reentered the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

With a career spanning more than 20 years in law enforcement and following multiple field and headquarters positions, Rebecca González-Ramos represents Puerto Rico in the federal government's Senior Executive Service.

During the operation, ICE officers focused their enforcement efforts on priority fugitive noncitizens and previously removed noncitizens who illegally reentered the U.S. and have been convicted of certain felonies or other criminal offenses 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.

An investigation conducted by HSI Baltimore, the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, D.C. and the Maryland State Police, with help from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, resulted in a 23-year federal prison sentence for Scott Anthony Williams, 45, of Laurel, and a 12-year, six-month sentence for Taeyan Raymond Williams, 26, of Morgantown, West Virginia.

Sequeira-Thomas, a self-admitted member of a Nicaraguan prison gang, told agents he was convicted and served time in his home country for the 2011 murder of his wife.

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.

Officers focused enforcement efforts against priority removable fugitive noncitizens — specifically, those identified as having criminal convictions for crimes including, but not limited to, burglary, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug distribution or trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation, or unlawful possession or use of a firearm — as well as noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have reentered the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

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.

On Oct. 19, 2022, Encinas-Obregon entered the United States from Mexico in a 2011 Audi A4 through the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales. Concealed inside the vehicle were 50 packages containing 23 kilograms of methamphetamines.

Speaking at an Aug. 31 roundtable in Laredo, HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee, CBP Acting Director of Field Operations for Laredo Eugene Crawford, ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Field Division Robert Topper, Houston U.S. Postal Inspection Service Chief Scott Fix, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens stressed that interdicting southbound firearms prevents criminal cartels from using them in illicit activity, such as the production and trafficking of fentanyl.

Officers focused enforcement efforts against priority removable fugitive noncitizens — specifically, those identified as having criminal convictions for crimes including, but not limited to, burglary, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug distribution or trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation, or unlawful possession or use of a firearm — as well as noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have reentered the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

Brayan Gramajo-Jolomna, 36, was flown from Chicago on a flight coordinated by ICE’s Air Operations Unit to the La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Upon arrival in Guatemala, ERO turned Gramajo-Jolomna over to local authorities without incident.

On Sept. 1, ERO New York City announced the local results of a nationwide enforcement operation during which officers apprehended 38 removable noncitizens determined to be a threat to national security, public safety or border security between Aug. 4 and 25.

ERO Baltimore arrested an undocumented noncitizen from El Salvador who had previously been removed from the United States following his conviction for a sex crime in Virginia. Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team apprehended the 48-year-old Salvadoran national Aug. 23 at his residence in Clinton.