The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) delivered an early “Christmas gift to Americans” by arresting undocumented immigrants with criminal records in operations carried out across the country.
“This holiday season, ICE is working around the clock to ensure silent nights and safer streets,” DHS said.
On Friday, the agency announced that ICE agents had taken into custody individuals whose criminal histories include burglary, robbery, and aggravated kidnapping. DHS described those arrested as among the “worst of the worst.”
“Violent criminal illegal aliens who break our laws have absolutely no business remaining in the United States,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Yesterday’s arrests include criminal illegal aliens convicted for burglary, bank robbery, and kidnapping. We are thankful for our law enforcement who delivered the best Christmas gift for American families this holiday season: safer communities.”
According to DHS, Thursday’s arrests involved undocumented immigrants from Chile, Colombia, Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras, each with prior criminal convictions.
DHS identified those arrested as:
- Jessupe Sandino Berraza-Rivera, a Chilean national DHS said is tied to a transnational organized crime enterprise known as the South American Theft Group. DHS said he was convicted of burglary in Santa Ana, California.
- Luis Enrique Castaneda-Reyes, a Colombian national DHS said has 10 criminal convictions, including bank robbery by force, along with convictions tied to drug-related violent crimes and a machine gun case in the U.S. District Court for New Jersey.
- Elidelfo Castro-Nava, a Mexican national DHS said was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury in the third degree in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Juan Emerson Gomez-Sorto, a Salvadoran national DHS said was convicted of aggravated assault in Price, Utah.
- Jesser Sandoval-Cruz, a Honduran national DHS said was convicted of assault of a family or household member after a previous conviction in Harris County, Texas.
Separately, DHS said Friday that more than 2.5 million undocumented immigrants have left the U.S. since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025. The agency added that the administration’s enforcement push has produced what it called the “most secure border in American history.”
“In less than a year, President Trump has delivered some of the most historic and consequential achievements in presidential history, and this administration is just getting started,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making America safe again and putting the American people first,” she said. “In record time, we have secured the border, taken the fight to cartels and arrested thousands upon thousands of criminal illegal aliens.”
