DHS Conducts Arrests Over Christmas Weekend

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared on Saturday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made arrests of some “of the worst of the worst” illegal immigrants during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

While many people in the U.S. are enjoying time with family, ICE agents are “risking their lives” in pursuit of “gang members, murderers, drug traffickers, and thugs,” noted DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

McLaughlin highlighted, “While families across the country gathered for Christmas celebrations, ICE continued to provide Americans with the greatest gift of all: removing criminals from our neighborhoods and protecting our families.”

The individuals detained included illegal immigrants from various countries like Mexico, Cuba, Somalia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Sudan, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela, all of whom had prior criminal convictions.

The arrests made on these two days include:

• Samuel Juarez Cruz, a man from Mexico, was convicted of murder, third-degree murder, and conspiracy to commit murder in Pennsylvania.
• Miguel Gonzalez Toledo, originally from Cuba, faced convictions for murder and drug trafficking in Florida.
• Mohamed Hassan Jeilani, a Somalian immigrant, holds multiple convictions related to vehicle theft, reckless endangerment, unlawful flight from police, and drug-impaired driving.
• Lionel Arevalo-Rubio, an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, was convicted of robbery in Los Angeles.
• Juan David Vasquez-Reyes, also from Mexico, was convicted in New Jersey for causing death by motor vehicle or vessel.
• Marcos Alchira Aquino, from Guatemala, was convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon in Utah.
• Juan Zarzoza Garza was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas.
• Yasir Emilio Rohai Ojok, a Sudanese immigrant, was convicted of second-degree robbery in California.
• Leonardo Migliano, from the Dominican Republic, faced charges of illegal possession of a firearm in Massachusetts.
• Jose Arena Ojeda, a Venezuelan immigrant, was convicted in Texas for illegal transportation of aliens and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling.

McLaughlin added, expressing gratitude towards law enforcement, “We are thankful to the police for sacrificing time with their families and risking their lives to eliminate the worst.”

DHS recently reported that over 2.5 million illegal immigrants have exited the United States since President Donald Trump’s return to office this year, attributing this to extensive immigration enforcement efforts that have led to “the most secure border in U.S. history.”