I.C.E. News Release

OPERATIONAL

01/08/2016

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending January 8, 2016




January 7, 2016 – ICE arrests more than 1,400 human traffickers in 2015, identifies nearly 400 victims across the US

In Fiscal Year 2015, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested 1,437 individuals for human trafficking – the illegal trade and exploitation of people for commercial gain, most commonly in the form of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. From those cases, nearly 400 trafficking victims were identified and offered critical services. Full Story

January 7, 2016 – ICE removes Salvadoran man wanted for child rape

A Salvadoran man illegally present in the United States, who is wanted in his home country for the rape of a 12-year-old girl, was removed from the United States by officers with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). Full Story

January 8, 2016 – ICE removes former El Salvador Minister of Defense

A former Minister of Defense (1979-1983) of El Salvador was removed from the United States by ICE’s ERO officers for his role in the commission of human rights violations during the Civil War in El Salvador. The 1980-1992 war resulted in the death of more than 70,000 civilians. Full Story

January 5, 2016 – HSI Special Agent rescues building occupants from pending fire

In December, action taken by Special Agent Jeremiah Gonzalez resulted in keeping occupants safe from a fire outside their building. Full Story

January 7, 2016 – ICE HSI San Juan Public Safety Group anti-gang operation reduces homicides by nearly 45 percent

With drug trafficking and gang-related homicides on the increase on the island of Puerto Rico, ICE HSI San Juan Public Safety Group (PSG) took action. The group deployed their Resilience Strike Team, which partnered with state and local law enforcement agencies from June 1, 2014 to May 31, 2015, to crack down on gangs and dismantle violent criminal organizations. Full Story

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ic...january-8-2016
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I.C.E. News Releases

01/08/2016

WASHINGTON, DC


ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL

ICE removes former El Salvador Minister of Defense
ERO officers removed General José Guillermo García-Merino, 82, from the United States to San Salvador, El Salvador, via an ICE Air Operations charter aircraft. They arrested him Dec. 17 in Florida.


01/08/2016

LUBBOCK, TX

CHILD EXPLOITATION

West Texas man sentenced to 16 years in federal prison on child pornography conviction
Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings ordered Jacob Seth Thornton, 29, of Lubbock, Texas, to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons Feb. 12 to begin serving his prison sentence.


01/08/2016

LUBBOCK, TX


NARCOTICS


3 West Texas methamphetamine distributors for Sinaloa cartel sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms
Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings sentenced Juan Carlos Pinales, 23, to 151 months in federal prison, Ramon Osvaldo Escobar-Robles, 25, to 78 months in federal prison, and Jesus Mario Moreno-Perez, 24, to 120 months in federal prison.



01/07/2016

PHILADELPHIA, PA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE arrests 175 sexual predators in PA, WV, DE in 2015
The arrests included a 43-year-old Dominican Republic man, Luis Rosado, who was a legal resident in the United States, but an immigration judge revoked his legal status when he solicited anal sex and sexually assaulted a child between the ages of 5 and 11.


01/07/2016

ALEXANDRIA, LA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE removes Salvadoran man wanted for child rape
Luis Enrique Pineda-Mejivar, 22, was encountered Sept. 5 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection near McAllen, Texas, after he illegally crossed the border into the United States.


01/07/2016

HOUSTON, TX



OPERATIONAL


Texas man charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIL
A Palestinian born in Iraq has been charged in a three-count indictment alleging that he attempted to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a designated foreign terrorist organization.


01/07/2016

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TRANSNATIONAL GANGS


ICE HSI San Juan Public Safety Group anti-gang operation reduces homicides by nearly 45 percent
With drug trafficking and gang-related homicides on the increase on the island of Puerto Rico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan Public Safety Group (PSG) took action.



01/07/2016

WASHINGTON, DC



HUMAN SMUGGLING/TRAFFICKING


ICE arrests more than 1,400 human traffickers in 2015, identifies nearly 400 victims across the US
This year marks the sixth anniversary of President Barack Obama’s proclamation of January as National Slavery and Trafficking Prevention month. ICE participates in a variety of human trafficking awareness events in January and throughout the year.


01/07/2016

HELENA, MT



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Last of 21 defendants sentenced in Montana for their roles in an international child pornography network of predators
The final defendant sentenced Jan. 7 as part of the operation in Missoula is Shawnston Beaudoin, 31, of Kennesaw, Georgia.


01/06/2016

CLEVELAND, OH



HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATORS


Ohio man sentenced to prison, ordered deported for lying about role in murders during Bosnian conflict
Slobodan Mutic, 53, will be deported upon completion of his sentence to Croatia, where he will stand trial for human-rights violations.


01/06/2016

DETROIT, MI



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE Detroit deports Slovenian man wanted for bank fraud
Elvis Kukavica, 34, arrived Jan. 6, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, under ICE escort and was turned over to Slovenian authorities without incident.



01/06/2016

DALLAS, TX



CONTRABAND


Dallas cocaine trafficker sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison
Jesus Garcia, 42, pleaded guilty in 2014 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine base. A total of 19 defendants were charged in the conspiracy; most have been convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 18 months to 20 years in federal prison.


01/05/2016

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OPERATIONAL


HSI Special Agent rescues building occupants from pending fire
Nonetheless, due to Gonzalez’s quick reaction to the observed threat, he was able to go in, alert the security guards, shut off the gas, and evacuate the 29 people who were in the building in approximately 15 minutes.


01/05/2016

CHESAPEAKE, VA



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Chesapeake man sentenced to 11 years in child pornography case
Charles Gibbons, a Chesapeake man, was sentenced Tuesday to 132 months in prison and 20 years of supervised release for receipt of child pornography.


01/04/2016

PHILADELPHIA, PA



DOCUMENT AND BENEFIT FRAUD


Philadelphia man sentenced to over 6 years for bank, identity fraud
Leonard Herrington, 42, was found guilty by a federal jury Sept. 4, 2015, for his role as a mid-level participant in a larger fraud conspiracy. He recruited and managed other co-conspirators in the extensive identity theft and fraud ring that spanned two states and defrauded seven financial institutions.



01/04/2016

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Mexican national convicted in southeast Texas of possessing child pornography
Jesus Hernandez-Ramos, 31, was apprehended in April 2014 by Border Patrol agents with a group of people who were being smuggled into the U.S. When questioned, Ramos admitted to being illegally present in the United States.


01/04/2016

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending January 1, 2016
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending January 1, 2016


01/04/2016

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Southeast Texas babysitter convicted of producing child pornography
Daniel Benson Billman, 42, from Aransas Pass, pleaded guilty to the charges before Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack. At the hearing, Judge Jack heard that authorities had learned of a possible sexual assault of a child in August 2015.


01/04/2016

WICHITA FALLS, TX



CHILD EXPLOITATION


Former North Texas youth minister sentenced to serve 60 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
Ryan Anthony Winner, 34, of Olney, Texas, has been in custody since his arrest in July 2015 on a related federal complaint.



12/28/2015

WASHINGTON, DC



OPERATIONAL


ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending December 25, 2015
ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending December 25, 2015


12/24/2015

APPLE VALLEY, CA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


ICE detainee passes away after suffering heart attack
Jose Manuel Azurida-Hernandez, 54, was transferred from the Adelanto Detention Facility to the hospital Dec. 19 after experiencing chest pains.


12/23/2015

PHILADELPHIA, PA



ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL


Mexican national charged with re-entry after multiple deportations
Jose Alberto Guadalupe-Ascencion, 30, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, was charged by indictment that alleges on or about Dec. 3, 2015, Guadalupe-Ascencion, an alien, and native and citizen of Mexico, was found in the United States after having been deported from the United States.

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