Connecticut is a sanctuary no more. ICE, federal partners remove dangerous illegal aliens from Connecticut streets during 4-day operation
HARTFORD, Conn. — ICE Boston, in coordination with federal law enforcement partners, apprehended 65 illegal aliens during a four-day enforcement operation in Connecticut, Aug. 12 - Aug. 15, targeting transnational organized crime, gangs, and egregious offenders. Among those arrested, 29 individuals had been convicted or charged in the United States with serious crimes, including kidnapping, assault, drug offenses, weapons violations, and sex crimes. Others were identified as members of transnational gangs or had criminal histories in their native countries.
The operation, named Operation Broken Trust, saw officers from ICE Boston’s Hartford field office collaborate with the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to apprehend illegal alien offenders across the state of Connecticut.
“Sanctuary legislation like Connecticut’s Trust Act only endangers the communities it claims to protect. Such laws only force law enforcement professionals to release criminal alien offenders back into the very communities they have already victimized,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “The state of Connecticut is a safer place thanks to the hard work and determination of the men and women of ICE and our federal partners. Working together, we were able to arrest 65 illegal aliens in just four days throughout Connecticut, many of whom had significant criminality in the United States,”
The Connecticut Trust Act, which limits the cooperation of state and local law enforcement agencies with ICE, was expanded in May – further restricting local law enforcement from cooperating with ICE. As a result state and local law enforcement agencies will refuse to honor ICE detainers with a few rare exceptions.
“Make no mistake: Every person that we arrested are criminals and breaking federal law, but many of these individuals also victimized innocent people and traumatized communities — rapists, drug traffickers, child sex predators and members of violent transnational criminal gangs,” Hyde said. “They all made the mistake of attempting to subvert justice by hiding out in Connecticut.”
Throughout the duration of Operation Broken Trust, ICE and its federal law enforcement partners targeted egregious criminal alien offenders, operating in the state of Connecticut.
ICE and its federal law enforcement partners also pursued targets who had foreign arrest warrants and Interpol Notices, apprehending criminal alien offenders wanted by authorities in foreign countries, successfully making removing them from the streets after local jurisdictions refused to honor immigration detainer requests to turn over the offenders forcing ICE officers and agents to make at-large arrests in Connecticut communities.
The worst of the worst arrested during Operation Broken Trust include:
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Efren Mauricio Guallpa-Shurshanay
Efren Mauricio Guallpa-Shurshanay, an illegal 43- year-old alien from Ecuador, in Danbury, Connecticut. Guallpa-Shurshanay’s criminal history includes a conviction for sex assault in 2008.
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Ruben Antonio Fuentes
Ruben Antonio Fuentes, an illegal 35-year-old alien from El Salvador, in Danbury, Connecticut. Fuentes’ criminal history includes convictions for drug and cocaine, harassing, carrying a prohibited weapon, cruelty toward a child and obscene communication.
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Alexander Alberto Guerra-Avila
Alexander Alberto Guerra-Avila, an illegal 24-year-old alien from Venezuela, in Danbury, Connecticut. Guerra-Avila’s criminal history includes arrests for stalking, assault, disorderly conduct, and injury to child.
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Jaime Timoteo Gonzalez-Moran
Jaime Timoteo Gonzalez-Moran, an illegal 37-year-old alien from Guatemala in Norwalk, Connecticut. Gonzalez’ criminal history includes convictions for sexual assault, threatening and THREE COUNTS of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
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Jeremiah Garrido-Morales
Jeremiah Garrido-Morales, an illegal 35-year-old alien from EL Salvador in Stamford, Connecticut. Garrido-Morales’ criminal history includes arrests for robbery, assault and breach of peace.
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Edwin Andres Calva-Guaman
Edwin Andres Calva-Guaman, an illegal 27-year-old alien from Ecuador, in Danbury, Connecticut. Calva-Guaman’s criminal history includes a conviction for larceny and arrest for domestic violence, assault 3rd degree and breach of peace.
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Nileshkumar Pravinbhai Patel
Nileshkumar Pravinbhai Patel, an illegal 38-year-old alien from India in Norwalk, Connecticut. Patel’s criminal history includes charges for sale of 1KG or more of cannabis and possession with intent to distribute 1KG or more of cannabis.
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Henry Morales-Cante
Henry Morales-Cante, an illegal 21-year-old alien from Guatemala in Stamford, Connecticut. Morales-Cante’s criminal history includes charges for assault, illegal possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle, carrying a dangerous weapon, reckless endangerment and illegal use of a facsimile firearm.
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Marlon Morales-Cante
Marlon Morales-Cante, an illegal 19-year-old alien from Guatemala in Stamford, Connecticut. Morales-Cante’s criminal history includes charges for assault, carrying a dangerous weapon, reckless endangerment and conspiracy to commit assault.
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Jonathan Alessandro Cordero-Morales
Jonathan Alessandro Cordero-Morales, an illegal 21-year-old alien from Ecuador in Danbury, Connecticut. Cordero-Morales’ criminal history includes charges for assault, breach of peace, violation of protection order, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct.
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Carlos Ernesto Silvestre-Sanchez
Carlos Ernesto Silvestre-Sanchez, an illegal 50-year-old alien from Guatemala in Danbury, Connecticut. Silvestre-Sanchez’ criminal history includes charges for sexual assault and breach of peace.
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Jonatan Cruz-Najera
Jonatan Cruz-Najera, an illegal 27-year-old alien from Guatemala in Stamford, Connecticut. Cruz-Najera’s criminal history includes arrests for assault and disorderly conduct.
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Miguel Coello-Farfan
Miguel Coello-Farfan, an illegal 51-year-old alien from Peru in Stamford, Connecticut. Coello-Farfan’s criminal history includes a charge os sex assault of a minor - that was overturned on appeal and pled to lesser charges of a similar nature. Charges were then pardoned by the State of Connecticut.
All aliens detained during Operation Broken Trust are expected to remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of their removal proceedings or their deportation from the United States.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X at @EROBoston.
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