Eleven men were arrested in an Indiana sting operation targeting suspected sex offenders, and four of them are illegal immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security says.
Investigators say the men believed they were chatting online with underage girls and drove to meet them for sex. Instead, undercover detectives were waiting.
ICE has filed detainer requests for the four foreign nationals, who come from four different countries.
El Hadji Babacar Ndiaye, a citizen of Senegal, was caught crossing the southern border in Lukeville, Arizona, in September 2023 and released under the Biden administration. He is charged with child solicitation.
Lucky Philip Udoudo, a Nigerian citizen, entered the country as a got-away at an unknown time and location. He faces charges of child solicitation and sexual misconduct with a minor.
Filomeno Ricardo Flores Marin, a Mexican citizen, crossed illegally into Arizona in 2002. He faces the most serious charges of the group: two counts of sex offenses, plus one count each of molestation of a minor and enticement of a minor for indecent purposes. Marin also has a prior arrest for stolen property. ICE previously took him into custody on January 18, 2019, while he was assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration on an operation in Indianapolis. He was released on bond on March 7, 2019.
David Josue Gomez-Posada, a citizen of El Salvador, entered the US illegally in 2017 as a juvenile. He is charged with child solicitation.
A DHS spokesperson said the agency is pressing Indiana to cooperate with its detainer requests.
“We are calling on Indiana to honor our detainers. All of their claims will be heard by an immigration judge, and they will receive due process. This administration will not ignore the rule of law.”
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the US.”
DHS pointed to broader enforcement numbers to make its case for local cooperation, noting that seven of the top 10 safest cities in the country work with ICE. The agency cited 40,000 arrests in Florida and a two-week operation in West Virginia that led to 650 arrests of illegal immigrants.
