News Releases and Statements

ICE engages with stakeholders nationwide, including state, local, tribal, territorial governments, elected officials, and law enforcement, the private sector, faith-based organizations and colleges and universities.

ICE Deputy Director and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Director Patrick J. Lechleitner, met with Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares, at the Washington D.C.-based DHS CCHT today.

According to court documents, Gregory Massey, 30, and his girlfriend and co-defendant Patricia Hart, forced two adult victims to engage in commercial sex in different locations during 2021 and 2022.

David Pasillas Martinez, 52, of Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled.

Saul Castorena, 41, and his brother, Steven Castorena, 40, are charged with conspiracy to take a hostage, two counts of hostage taking, conspiracy related to harboring undocumented noncitizens, and two counts of harboring an undocumented noncitizen.

ERO Philadelphia removed Rakin Islam Chowdhury, a citizen of Bangladesh with a final order of removal, to Bangladesh on Jan. 17. Chowdhury was previously convicted of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

David Fehr Wiebe, of Janos, Chihuahua, Mexico, will remain in custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled.

According to court documents, Harold Lee McMullen possessed more than 400 images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Authorities obtained a search warrant after discovering that his computer’s IP address exchanged child sexual abuse material over BitTorrent. McMullen was arrested Aug. 15, 2023, and pleaded guilty Sept. 14, 2023.

Deportation officers from ERO Baltimore’s Fugitive Operations Team arrested the 30-year-old MS-13 gang member Jan. 29 near his residence in Silver Spring.

Vernelle E. Hines, 30, a resident of Houston, Texas, was charged with interfering with commerce by robbery and carrying and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

ICE leadership met with LaSalle Corrections yesterday as part of ongoing conversations between the agency and private sector partners.

Roberto Tovar, 47, of Del Rio, was sentenced Jan. 29 to 168 months in federal prison. His co-defendant, Melissa Villarreal, 36, of Del Rio, was sentenced to 135 months in prison. Tovar pleaded guilty June 24, 2021, and Villarreal pleaded guilty March 28, 2022.

Nathanael Alley Rivera, 23, of Eloy, pleaded guilty on Sept. 6, 2023, to conspiracy charges related to his supervisory role in transporting hundreds of undocumented noncitizens for financial gain. During the first months of the conspiracy, Rivera was on probation for a previous human smuggling conviction.

The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force, led by HSI, arrested Elvin Jhohanie Molina-Rosado, a 35-year-old man from Corozal.

On Nov. 18, 2020, the FBI in Philadelphia arrested Nabila Khan for conspiracy to provide material support of resources to a foreign terrorist organization.

Dwayne Henry, 32, and Wayne Henry, 34, both of Landover Hills, allegedly engaged in a lottery scheme that tricked victims into believing they won a lottery or sweepstakes and were required to send advance payment for taxes and other fees before they were entitled to receive their winnings.

HSI began investigating Victor Francisco Mendez, 35, of Douglas, in June 2023, when the Douglas Police Department received information from the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The judge ordered Jesus Hector Lagarda-Gil, 45, of Mexico, to forfeit a 2018 Mazda CX5 automobile and $148,000 in U.S. currency. Lagarda-Gil pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on Sept. 21, 2023.

Veronica Pech, 57, of Ridgecrest, California, was sentenced Jan. 29 to 76 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $5,000 fine for operating several stash houses in Del Rio and facilitating harboring and transportation of noncitizens.

ICE, working in coordination with DHS and CBP, facilitated removal flights, including single adults and family units to Central America, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Venezuela, Jan. 22 - 26.

The agency is dedicated to transparency, providing open lines of communication with stakeholders regarding its mission and operations.

Sentencing for Maria Mendoza-Mendoza aka “La Guera,” 51, of Honduras, is scheduled for April 2 before U.S. District Judge Raner C. Collins.

According to court documents, from November 2022 to December 2023, Lopez-Lebron recruited, enticed, harbored and transported a girl between the ages of 11 and 12 for commercial sex.

Phil Cuellar III, a 36-year-old resident of Corpus Christi and documented gang member, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 168 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamines.

Abiel Alejandro Saldivar, 33, of San Antonio, was sentenced by a federal judge to 360 months in prison with a lifetime of supervised release and $45,000 in restitution. The judge also ordered him to pay $55,100 in special assessments.