News Releases and Statements

The incident began unfolding after a good Samaritan spotted the panga on the island and immediately contacted law enforcement officers at the Maritime Coordination Center in Long Beach. A CBP Office of Air and Marine Black Hawk helicopter was launched and flew over the northwest end of the island. After spotting the suspects, the helicopter touched down and the three men were detained.

Raymond Douglas Charles Macleod, 72, was repatriated under escort by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers on a commercial flight that departed from Los Angeles International Airport. Macleod is facing trial in Canada for the 1974 rape of a 5-year-old girl with cerebral palsy.

One of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) priorities is arresting child predators and bringing them to a court of law where they face justice, or in some cases, sending them back to their home countries.

But first, convicted child sexual predators, some of whom are in the country illegally, must be located. The Fugitive Operations Support Center (FOSC) and Fugitive Operations Teams (FOT) of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) tracks and targets criminal aliens convicted of sexual crimes against children.

Based on data extracted from SEVIS Feb. 6, 1.13 million international students, using an F (academic) or M (vocational) visa, were enrolled at nearly 8,979 U.S. schools. This marked a 14.18 percent increase in international students when compared to January 2014 data. The number of certified schools remained relatively static, increasing just more than one percent, during the same time period.

Michael Stratton, 32, from Cedar Hill, Texas, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Ed Kinkeade to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons April 22.

ICE’s request to join the network was unanimously approved Feb. 23. ICE also works with Europol’s Operations Department in the areas of intellectual property rights, child sexual exploitation and cybercrime. The joint cooperation has already led to various successes, such as the seizure of 292 internet domain names for selling counterfeit products and the recent rescue of a sex abuse victim.

According to the criminal complaint, Rene Roberge, 47, of Quebec, sent an email Oct. 9 to an undercover agent through a social networking site, in which he requested to meet with the agent and the agent’s 14-year-old son. Roberge chatted with the undercover agent and stated he would travel to Florida to meet them.

The United Nations General Assembly set aside this date, March 24, to “honor the memory of victims of gross and systematic human rights violations and promote the importance of the right to truth and justice” as well as to “pay tribute to those who have devoted their lives to, and lost their lives in, the struggle to promote and protect human rights for all.”

Over the past decade, the two agencies have worked together on several major multimillion dollar fraud investigations, leading to a number of high profile convictions. The launch of the City of London Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit in September 2013 brought a new dimension to this partnership, with a shared focus on tackling intellectual property crime.

Pedro Lucero, from Farmington, New Mexico, must also serve three years of supervised release. Lucero was one of 29 individuals charged in February 2014 with drug trafficking resulting from a multi-agency drug-trafficking investigation in northwestern New Mexico.

The graduation took place at the AAA Shooting Club in Toa Baja where HSI San Juan's special agent in charge presented a certificate of completion to the 13 graduates in a special ceremony.

Pablo Antonio Moreno-Fernandez, 49, arrived in Madrid, Spain, March 19 under ICE escort and was turned over to Spanish authorities.

Marco Vidal-Castillo, 39, was escorted to the Juarez Lincoln Port in Laredo, Texas, and turned over to Mexico's Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) March 27.

Ming Guo, 46, of North Miami Beach, Florida, owner of two Twin Cities restaurants named Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet, and Bijian Went (aka Wilson) 28, of Spring Lake Park, Minnesota, and manager of the restaurants, each entered guilty pleas on one charge of knowingly hiring 10 or more illegal aliens. The two were charged with the crime Jan. 26.

Yesterday, during my testimony before the House of Representatives’ Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I was asked whether it would help if Congress clarified the law to make it clear that it was mandatory that local jurisdictions cooperate with ICE. I want to be sure there is no confusion about my response.

Robert J. Gongloff, 25, originally from Terra Alta, West Virginia, is alleged to have produced numerous images and videos depicting nude minors and minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Gongloff is also alleged to have misrepresented his name and age on a website known as MeetMe.com, claiming to be 17 years old and using the name “Johnny Williamson,” in order to transmit sexually explicit photographs to minor females.

On March 18, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) marine patrol aircraft detected a vessel of approximately 40 feet in length with two outboard engines and two subjects onboard, traveling northbound and without navigation lights towards the coast of Vieques. The patrol aircraft maintained constant surveillance of the vessel as CBP marine units responded and intercepted the suspicious vessel for further inspection. The inspection of the boat yielded 42 bales of cocaine weighing approximately 2,425 pounds. The HSI investigation is ongoing.

It is critical that PEP be implemented in a way that also supports community policing and sustains the trust of all elements of the community in working with law enforcement.

Tyrone Tyson Sr., 40, of Camden, pleaded guilty in October 2014, to distribution and possession with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin.

Hector Coria-Gonzalez, 46, was taken into custody at his Davis residence early Friday morning by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers. He is being held without bond at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center while his case undergoes review by the immigration court.

Blaine K. Nipp, 37, of Vancouver, Washington, was arrested in January 2014 after investigators tied Nipp to a username distributing illicit images through an overseas photo sharing website, according to court documents. A search of Nipp’s electronic devices turned up photos of him abusing a 10-year-old girl.

Former Illinois State Rep. Keith Farnham, 67, of Elgin, Illinois, was also ordered to pay a $30,000 fine and must report to prison May 19. He will remain on a bond that restricts him to his home and requires around-the-clock electronic monitoring.

Kenneth Simon Brzoznowski, from Midland Texas, was also ordered to be placed under supervised release for 10 years after he completes his federal prison term. On Oct. 17, 2014, Brzoznowski pleaded guilty to using a cell phone to entice a minor female to engage in sexual activity.

ICE's Director, Sarah R. Saldaña, testified March 19 before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform at a hearing titled, “A Review of the Department of Homeland Security’s Policies and Procedures for the Apprehension, Detention, and Release of Non-Citizens Unlawfully Present in the United States – Part II.

Justin Kinney, 26, of Newark, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of producing child pornography. Kinney was previously arrested and charged by federal complaint on April 20, 2014, and is currently in state custody on related charges.