Federal immigration agents rounded up dozens of criminal illegal aliens over the weekend, targeting people convicted of murder, “deadly conduct,” and sexual abuse of minors and the elderly. The enforcement sweep hit multiple states and included arrests of traffickers, violent offenders, and those already convicted in local courts. Officials are framing this as a straightforward crackdown on public safety threats, with senior Department of Homeland Security voices underscoring the point.
“Over the weekend, ICE law enforcement arrested pedophiles, murderers, and drug traffickers from American communities,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “If you come to our country illegally, break our laws, we will find you, we will arrest you, and you will NEVER return.” The department stressed that these arrests were focused on those with serious criminal records rather than simple immigration violations.
Several of the arrested were convicted sex offenders, including a man found guilty of “continuous sexual abuse” of a child and another convicted of aggravated sexual assault of an elderly or disabled person. Martin Martinez-Gaspar was identified as one offender convicted in Los Angeles for repeated child abuse, and Jose Ivan Trevino was tied to an aggravated sexual assault conviction in Hidalgo County, Texas. Those cases were highlighted to show how ICE prioritized offenders who pose long-term threats to vulnerable people.
Other child sex crime arrests included Toua Lo, convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Sacramento, and Alejandro Saucedo, arrested after a conviction for indecent liberties with a child in North Carolina. Dario Solis-Salvador was also detained after convictions for child endangerment in Kansas. Officials say these arrests were part of a wider strategy to remove predators from communities where they had previously been convicted.
The weekend roundup did not stop with sex crimes; federal agents also took into custody people tied to violent assaults and drug trafficking. Julio Cesar Pimentel-German was identified in connection with fentanyl distribution in Massachusetts, a crime that has become a major focus of federal enforcement. Carlos Cortez-Aquino, convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Florida, was another arrest flagged by authorities.
Two individuals from Honduras now living in Houston, Isidro Velasquez-Rodas and Abel Hernandez-Espinal, were arrested after convictions for committing “deadly conduct,” according to officials. A man from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, was also picked up after a theft conviction, showing the sweep covered a range of criminal offenses. The list included people convicted in jurisdictions from coast to coast.
Additional arrests involved possession of burglary tools and second-degree assault resulting in serious bodily injury, demonstrating a mix of property and violent crimes among the targets. Homeland Security officials named Fernando Sandoval-Cruz as a second person arrested in California after a conviction for assault with a deadly weapon. The public messaging emphasized that these were not minor offenders but people who had already been through the criminal justice system.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem empowered ICE law enforcement to enforce the law and arrest and remove public safety threats from our country,” McLughlin continued in the Homeland Security news release about ICE’s weekend round-up of criminal illegal aliens. That line was used to underline the political backing for robust removal efforts from the administration and its allies. Officials framed the actions as consistent with broader priorities on law and order.
The department’s release also noted a resource where residents can learn whether someone arrested in their community is in federal custody, but the focus was clear: prioritize convicted criminals. Local law enforcement in many places cooperated or supported the effort, and federal officials said they would continue to follow leads. That promise comes as part of a broader push to tie immigration enforcement to public safety outcomes.
“The biggest problem our Country has is that the Democrats are SOFT ON CRIME! They want to protect the Criminal, violent and vicious as they may be, at the expense of our great American Citizens and Patriots,” President Trump said on Truth Social Sunday. “That is not what America is about, and never will be!” The message reinforces a tough-on-crime stance and frames the enforcement actions as defending everyday Americans against violent offenders.
