ICE Executes Multiple Arrest Operations Nationwide During Memorial Day Weekend
Immigration authorities arrest multiple migrants nationwide during Memorial Day weekend, sparking renewed debates on border security.
Federal immigration authorities arrested several migrants across the United States over the Memorial Day weekend, according to an official statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The coordinated operations were conducted on Saturday by ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) teams in cities including Boston, Denver, Houston, Newark, New York City, Salt Lake City, and San Francisco.
Among those taken into custody was Kevin Estuarde Hernandez, 18, of Guatemala. He was apprehended by ERO Boston officers, working in conjunction with other federal agencies. According to law enforcement in Everett, Massachusetts, Hernandez is a suspected member of the 18th Street gang and is believed to have been involved in a gang-related shooting between rivals 18th Street and MS-13. Officials confirmed that Hernandez was present in the U.S. without admission or parole.
In Denver, ICE agents arrested Jose Antonio Deras, 45, a citizen of El Salvador who had previously been denied temporary protected status and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2009. Deras has multiple traffic convictions and faces pending felony charges of sexual assault on a child, as reported by ICE.
Further south, ERO Houston arrested Misael Delgado-Carlos, 35, of Mexico. Delgado-Carlos had been previously removed from the country before reentering illegally. Local authorities noted that she has a prior criminal conviction for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Harris County, Texas, for which she received a four-year deferred adjudication sentence.
In Newark, ICE, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, detained Eduardo Sanchez-Hernandez, 32, of Mexico. Authorities stated that Sanchez-Hernandez entered the country without authorization and has a record that includes an arrest and a pending legal case regarding allegations of sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 13.
ERO New York City took into custody Litzy Janel Saavedra, 26, another Mexican national residing in the U.S. illegally. Saavedra has a criminal history that includes a 2022 conviction for third-degree felony rape in Yonkers, New York. ICE indicated that Saavedra was served with a Notice to Appear in immigration court.
Jose Barrios-Bello, 35, of Mexico, was arrested in Salt Lake City after reportedly reentering the U.S. illegally following a previous removal. Barrios-Bello has a conviction for distribution of methamphetamine, for which he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Carlos Torres Valdovinos, 46, also of Mexico, was apprehended by San Francisco-based ERO officers. According to authorities, Valdovinos has a felony conviction for oral copulation of a child in Stanislaus County, California, for which he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. ICE reported that Valdovinos was removed to Mexico on Sunday, while the remaining individuals arrested will stay in custody pending their removal proceedings.
The wave of arrests comes amid ongoing debates about immigration policy and law enforcement cooperation across the nation. Officials reiterated that these efforts are part of routine enforcement designed to address individuals with serious criminal histories and prior records of illegal reentry.
