‘Worst of the worst’ criminals nabbed by ICE during President’s Day weekend sweep

FIRST ON FOX: As federal immigration enforcement operations continue across the country, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to apprehend child sex predators who reside in the country as illegal immigrants.

Child grooming, sex and lewd acts with minors, including some under 14, possession of child pornography, domestic assault, assault with a deadly weapon, stalking and drug trafficking were among some of DHS’s “worst to worst” arrests over President’s Day weekend.

“Over President’s Day weekend, the brave men and women of ICE apprehended heinous criminal illegal aliens across the country convicted of sex crimes against children, rape, and drug trafficking,” said DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “These violent criminals will never be allowed to harm children and innocent Americans again.”

Meanwhile, according to McLaughlin, “almost 70%” of ICE arrests are of illegal immigrants accused or convicted of a crime in the United States. “Nothing will stop ICE law enforcement from removing them from American communities,” the DHS deputy secretary said.

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Over the weekend, many of the illegal alien criminals arrested by ICE had prior charges related to child sexual abuse. Efren Guzman-Lopez, originally from Guatemala, was captured in Texas after being convicted of crimes such as child sexual intercourse and child care. Another felon, an illegal alien convicted of sexual offenses with a child, specifically lewd or lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14, was captured in California this weekend. Javier Millan-Salgado, who is originally from Mexico, was also on the sex offender list, according to DHS.

Multiple people in California were arrested this weekend for “having sex with a minor,” while in Missouri, Pedro Jucub, an illegal criminal alien, was arrested for “sexual misconduct” with a child under 15, according to DHS. These criminal illegal aliens came from Guatemala and Mexico.

Others were arrested for acts of sexual abuse and sexual assault, including in New York and Salt Lake City.

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Drug trafficking, assault and domestic violence were trends that remained among DHS’s “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens over President’s Day weekend.

Protesters using whistles to warn neighborhoods of ICE activity confront Minneapolis police officers in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 24, 2026. (Photo: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)

DHS’s list of those accused or convicted of drug trafficking included illegal criminal aliens from Honduras and Mexico. They were recruited from various states in the Midwest, Southwest, and East Coast.

Alfredo Vargas and Wilfrido Varelas-Rubio, both from Mexico, were convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in Iowa and Montana, respectively, before being caught by ICE this weekend. A Honduran man named Ever Rivera-Molina was convicted of conspiring to distribute crystal methamphetamine in Texas before being arrested by ICE.

On the East Coast, in Raleigh, North Carolina, Hermilio Salgado-Castro, an illegal alien from Mexico detained by ICE, had previously been convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Saul Alonzo Portillo-Lopez, who was living in Texas when he was arrested over the weekend, had previously been convicted of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, according to DHS’s “worst of the worst” list over the weekend.

Felony assault, domestic violence, stalking and assault with a deadly weapon were also among the crimes committed by people on ICE’s list.

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Gerson Valverde, an illegal alien from Nicaragua, was arrested following convictions for aggravated assault, aggravated domestic crime, and misdemeanor harassment in New York’s Saratoga County. Francisco Gamez-Martinez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by ICE this weekend after being convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Lakeland, Florida.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday pushed for passage of the SAVE America Act at a news conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, to ensure voter safety at the polls. (AP Photo/Caitlin O’Hara)

DHS has launched a website called WOW.DHS.Gov, where Americans can learn about public safety threats apprehended in their communities.

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security highlights the worst of the worst criminal aliens apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the website’s homepage reads. “Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the hard-working men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations, starting with the worst of the worst, including the illegal aliens you see here.”