St. Paul ICE agents arrest 3 child sex predators in immigration roundup
St. Paul ICE arrest 3 child predators
Officials with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s St. Paul office say they have arrested three child sex predators during an immigration roundup as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to nab undocumented immigrants.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Federal agents in St. Paul have arrested at least three child sex predators as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to nab undocumented immigrants, targeting those with criminal records first.
St. Paul ICE agents arrest undocumented immigrants with criminal records
The backstory:
Federal agents have arrested at least three child sex predators since the Trump administration stepped up efforts to pick up and deport undocumented immigrants.
It’s unclear how many immigrants have been arrested since President Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Who was arrested?
By the numbers:
Octavio Juarez-Bonilla, of Mexico, was arrested by St. Paul agents on Sunday. His criminal record includes a conviction for possession of child pornography.
Christofer Alexander Ramirez-Oliva, of Honduras, was arrested on Jan. 23. He was convicted of criminal sexual conduct with a minor.
Agents also arrested Jesus Baltazar Mendoza, of Mexico. His record includes a conviction for assault of a child.
What they're saying:
At a news conference at the White House on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted two of the arrests made by the St. Paul agents.
"ICE St. Paul has arrested a citizen of Honduras, who was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor," she said. "ICE St. Paul also arrested a citizen of Mexico, who was convicted of possessing pornographic material of a minor on a work computer."
Big picture view:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said federal agents arrested 7,300 undocumented immigrants in the first week of the Trump administration.
It is unclear how many of them were arrested by agents in St. Paul.
What's next:
The Trump administration has ordered regional offices to arrest 75 undocumented immigrants each day.
The St. Paul's ICE field office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
St. Paul police field inquiries about immigration arrests
Dig deeper:
In a social media post on Thursday, St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) officials said they have received numerous inquiries about immigration enforcement activities.
The agency said it does not have the authority to enforce immigration laws.
The Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement social media post; White House social media post; White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt; FOX News