U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than a dozen illegal aliens convicted of murder, child sexual assault, child abuse and other crimes over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security said.
"While Americans enjoyed their weekend, the brave men and women of ICE arrested murderers, child sexual predators, and child abusers who should not have been in our country in the first place," said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
"Under President Trump, ICE has been unleashed to target and remove illegal aliens from our communities so that we can Make America Safe Again. Arresting and deporting illegal aliens saves lives," Mullin said.
Those arrested include Sakhone Lasaphangthong, from Laos, convicted of murder in Sacramento, California, and Ruben Ayala-Laies, from Cuba, convicted of second-degree murder in Union County, Florida. Israel Espinosa-Trejo, from Mexico, was convicted of reckless homicide in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Jose Alcaraz-Carranza, from Mexico, was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 in Tulare, California. Joel Velazco-Carrizosa, from Mexico, was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a child in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Edgar Tranquilino Moran-Bautista, from Mexico, of sodomy by force in Madera, California.
Ana Glenda Beatriz Melendez-Alvarado, from El Salvador, was convicted of child abuse with great bodily injury or death in Los Angeles, California. Marvin Martinez, from the Dominican Republic, was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor and possession of a controlled substance in Anne Arundel, Maryland.
Others arrested were convicted of drug, weapons, fraud, burglary and neglect offenses in Kansas, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, Iowa and Massachusetts. DHS said there have been zero releases at the border for 16 months.