Federal agents conduct an enforcement operation, and inset booking photos show individuals arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during National Crime Victims Week, officials said.(Getty Images)ICE conducted a nationwide enforcement operation during National Crime Victims Week to arrest noncitizens with prior convictions for violent and sexual offenses, as well as drug distribution. DHS named several individuals convicted of crimes including aggravated sexual assault, lewd acts with a child, strangulation and meth distribution. Officials noted these arrests involve nationals from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, and pointed victims to the VOICE Office for assistance. DHS also said such cases are a small portion of overall border encounters, which exceeded 2 million in both FY2022 and FY2023.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Wednesday that it arrested multiple noncitizens with prior criminal convictions as part of enforcement actions timed to National Crime Victims Week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. ICE arrested multiple individuals Wednesday who were convicted of serious crimes, including sexual assault and drug trafficking. DHS said the operation targeted individuals previously convicted of serious offenses, including aggravated sexual assault, lewd acts with a child, assault by strangulation and distribution of methamphetamine. The agency emphasized that these arrests reflect its priority to remove noncitizens with criminal convictions from U.S. communities. The arrests come after the U.S. experienced historically high levels of illegal immigration in recent years. Named Arrests and Prior Convictions Carlos Portillo-Nunez (El Salvador) — previously convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child in Indio, California. Pablo Blanco-Fortuna (Mexico) — convicted of aggravated sexual assault and failing to register as a sex offender in Hidalgo County, Texas. Roberto Vallejo-Benitez (Mexico) — convicted of assault by strangulation in Wake County, North Carolina. Eladio Laines (Guatemala) — previously convicted of sexual assault and unlawful restraint involving serious bodily injury in Chester, Pennsylvania. Alfredo Delgado-Perez (Mexico) — convicted of distributing methamphetamine in Los Angeles. “During National Crime Victims Week, DHS is continuing its work to fight for justice for victims of illegal alien crime,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “By removing criminal illegal aliens from our communities, ICE is stopping them before they can perpetrate more crimes and create more victims.” DHS noted that the detainees arrested in this operation came from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador — countries that have consistently accounted for a significant share of southern border crossings in recent years. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 2 million migrant encounters along the southern border in both fiscal years 2022 and 2023, with a decline reported in 2024, according to DHS data. ICE reiterated that its enforcement priorities focus on noncitizens with criminal histories, especially those linked to violence, sexual offenses and drug trafficking. DHS also pointed victims to its Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office for support and resources. While DHS highlighted these arrests for serious crimes, the agency acknowledged that such criminal cases represent a small fraction of the millions of border encounters recorded in recent years. The department repeated its commitment to protecting victims and removing individuals who pose public-safety risks.Help us improve.