ICE apprehends 133 illegal foreign nationals in upstate New York

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, working with federal law enforcement partners, apprehended 133 foreign nationals "during an enhanced targeted enforcement operation focusing on criminal illegal alien offenders and other immigration violators in western, central, and northern New York to bolster public safety, national security and border security,” said.

Among those arrested in a one-week operation were 84 illegal foreign nationals in the Buffalo and Rochester areas, and 49 in Syracuse, Albany, Rouses Point, and Massena.

Among them were 20 with criminal convictions or charges, including three convicted of homicide. Nine had been previously removed from the U.S. Four criminal search warrants were executed, including at worksites for federal violations “of bringing in and harboring certain aliens;” 18 administrative immigration arrests were also made.

Among those arrested were a Trinidad and Tobago national convicted of murder; a Dominican national convicted of sexual conduct with a child; a Salvadoran national convicted of murder and gang assault; a Dominican national convicted of manslaughter and criminal sale of controlled substance; a Chinese national convicted of assault; a Mexican national convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; an Ecuadoran national with several DWI convictions, among others.

In another operation, ICE Buffalo agents removed two Honduran nationals illegally in the U.S. who were convicted of felony sexual offenses. Both illegally entered the U.S. “on an unknown date at an unknown location without being admitted or paroled by a U.S. Immigration official,” otherwise known as “gotaways,” ICE said. A record more than two million gotaways were reported illegally entering the U.S. under the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported.

One Honduran was convicted in Suffolk County of attempted rape in the first-degree in 2021 and sentenced to seven years in prison. The other was found guilty of sexual assault of a victim under 13 and was later arrested for violating a judicial restraining order.

In another operation, ICE Buffalo agents arrested a Mexican national illegally in the U.S. and a “self-admitted member of the Paisas gang.” His criminal convictions include drug possession, resisting arrest and two counts of illegal reentry, according to ICE records. He illegally entered the U.S. multiple times as a gotaway dating back to 2015 and was previously removed three times. He remains in custody pending his fourth removal.

In another operation, Homeland Security Investigations New York agents led the effort to arrest a Tren De Aragua fugitive in the Bronx connected to home invasions and other crimes committed in Colorado. The 26-year-old Venezuelan national illegally in the U.S. was charged with being a fugitive in possession of a firearm and ammunition and detained. HSI Denver, Aurora Police Department, Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Border Patrol’s Intelligence Unit, and New York Police Department were involved in the investigation.

In New York, law enforcement officers have been investigating suspected TdA members and affiliates as violence has escalated. “There are substantial intra-gang conflicts within TDA, and, in some cases, TDA members have disavowed the gang and described themselves as ‘Anti-Tren,” ICE said. “TDA members have engaged in numerous shootings and murders, and much of this violence is driven by hostilities between TDA and ‘Anti-Tren’ members.”

In other operations, ICE agents in New York City arrested Mexican and Guatemalan nationals, all men who illegally entered and reentered the U.S. as gotaways and were deported multiple times.

In one recent case, ICE agents arrested a Guatemalan national illegally in the U.S. with convictions for sexual battery of a child and illegal reentry, serving time in prison for both convictions. The Guatemalan national illegally entered the U.S. multiple times as a gotaway dating back to 2014, according to ICE records, including claiming he was a Mexican citizen. He was previously removed three times and remains in custody facing a recent 12-month prison sentence issued by a court in Virginia.

In another case, they arrested a previously removed Guatemalan national illegally in the U.S. with convictions for assault and act in manner to injure a child. His criminal record dates back to 2012 when he was first processed for expedited removal under the Obama administration. He was again removed the next year after illegally entering as a gotaway. He again illegally reentered as a gotaway and in 2022 was convicted of third-degree assault and in 2024 of act in manner to injure a child and criminal mischief, according to ICE records. At the time of his latest ICE arrest, he had an outstanding warrant for DWI. He remains in ICE custody.

ICE is encouraging members of the public to share information about “foreign fugitives, transnational gang members or other criminal aliens who are in the U.S. illegally” by calling ICE’s Tip Line; 1-866-347-2423; internationally at 001-1802-872-6199; or online.