On Wednesday, federal law enforcement and D.C. police addressed illegal immigration from Mexico, leading to some arrests.
The arrest of David Perez Theofani, captured on video by reporters, happened near the National Mall just nine days after President Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington, D.C., sending thousands of federal officers and National Guard troops to oversee the city.
Perez Theofani appeared calm at first when he stepped out of a blue SUV surrounded by local and federal officers. A video by NBC4 reporter Aimee Cho brings this moment to light.
However, moments later, he tried to run but was quickly subdued by an officer from Homeland Security Investigations. “Please! I’m not a criminal! I work here! I want to be with my family!” he pleaded in Spanish as the police closed in.
Tricia McLaughlin, Deputy Director of Homeland Security, stated that Perez Theofani had previously been accused of crossing the Potomac River. “Yes, this illegal immigrant from Mexico was arrested in January 2024 for sexual assault of a child under 13 in Fairfax County,” she mentioned in response to Cho’s viral tweets.
“We are glad he is off the streets of Washington, D.C.,” she added, thanking Trump, DHS Executive Director Kriti Noem, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Interestingly, while he had been charged with child sex crimes last year, those charges were later dismissed for unknown reasons.
According to DHS, Perez Theofani had voluntarily returned to Mexico twice before, only to re-enter the U.S. illegally three times, in defiance of a “final removal order.” Records from the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court confirm that he was charged with aggravated indecent liberties and sexual battery involving a minor in early 2024.
The Fairfax County federal attorney’s office did not respond to requests for comments. Stephen Descano, the county’s federal attorney, has faced criticism in the past over his handling of cases involving illegal immigrants accused of sexual offenses.
An ICE spokesperson noted, “The prosecutor refuses to indict him,” highlighting the decision by Fairfax County’s courts regarding Perez Theofani.
