News Releases and Statements

ICE removed Colombian nationals with final orders of removal from the United States to their home country March 30. On the return flight to the United States, ICE transported U.S. citizens in accordance with the OMB Circular A-126 and the DHS MD 0020.1.

Agents seized approximately 1,300 pounds of cocaine, 86 pounds of methamphetamine, 17 pounds of heroin, 3,000 pounds of marijuana and more than two pounds of fentanyl from the tunnel. The large seizure of mixed drugs represents the first time in San Diego’s history where five different types of drugs were found inside a tunnel. The total street value of the drugs seized from the tunnel is estimated at $29.6 million.

On the return flights to the United States, ICE facilitated the transportation of U.S. citizens in accordance with the OMB Circular A-126 and the DHS MD 0020.1. In total, ICE brought home 130 US citizens from Honduras on two separate flights, and 127 US citizens from El Salvador.

Todd Louis Pajnich, 30, pleaded guilty in December to sexual exploitation of a child.

On the return flight to the United States, ICE facilitated the transportation of U.S. citizens in accordance with the OMB Circular A-126 and the DHS MD 0020.1.

On the return flight to the United States, ICE facilitated the transportation of U.S. citizens in accordance with the OMB Circular A-126 and the DHS MD 0020.1.

An ICE HSI special agent and his family were sailing en route to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Tuesday, when they intercepted a Coast Guard broadcast stating a man had fallen overboard near Edmonds and was in need of urgent assistance.

In coordination with the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Sex Crimes Unit, HSI Lake Charles special agents determined John Michael Ward, 45, of Westlake, abused a juvenile victim over a two year period and, on two occasions, coerced the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of capturing sexually explicit videos of the minor. Ward was serving as a pastor of Bellview Baptist Church in Westlake, LA, at the time of his arrest.

A 31-year-old Mexican national in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey, has tested positive for COVID-19.

Contractors working on the wall project had been moving soil in the area when they uncovered plywood and boards, which agents later determined to be possible tunnel shoring. After further excavation the incomplete tunnel measured approximately 8 to 12 feet below the surface of the ground at the location of the sink hole. This is the sixth tunnel discovered in the Yuma Sector area of responsibility.

ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases. Fatalities in ICE custody, statistically, are exceedingly rare and occur at a fraction of the national average for the U.S. detained population.

ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases.

To ensure the welfare and safety of the general public as well as officers and agents in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will temporarily adjust its enforcement posture beginning today, March 18, 2020. ICE's highest priorities are to promote life-saving and public safety activities.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested six suspected MS-13 gang members at a number of locations in San Francisco, Daly City, Mountain View, Menlo Park, and South San Francisco on March 12.

David J. Cottrell, 30, of Niles, Illinois, enticed the underage victim into sending him sexually explicit photos of herself via online social messaging applications. 

Demetrio Lopez-Pena was convicted of rape by force and sodomy by force by the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego in 1982 and received an aggregated sentence of twelve years. His other convictions include a 1979 DUI conviction, and a 2010 conviction for failure to register as a sex offender and DUI, where he was sentence to 32 months prison.

In addition to the two Los Angeles-area residents, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) arrested two Chinese nationals who each paid tens of thousands of dollars to enter into sham marriages with United States citizens to obtain Green Cards. The United States citizens in these situations were actually undercover HSI agents.

Michael Rahim Mohammed, aka Mr. Dark, 32, was charged with various counts of distribution of child pornography, production and transportation of obscene matters for sale or distribution, engaging in the business of selling or transferring obscene matter, and laundering of monetary instruments according to the nine-count indictment and parallel civil forfeiture action unsealed today.

Leadership Tampa Bay promotes the prosperity and vitality of the Tampa Bay region, enlightening local leaders to the importance of the area in the state of Florida. The group engages members with businesses and community leaders to enhance knowledge of regional assets and issues.

Kenneth Warren Rhule, 26 of Bothell, Washington was arrested March 10 on an eight-count complaint charging him with operating an illegal money exchange business involving bitcoin, announced Acting SAC of ICE's HSI Seattle Eben Roberts and U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.

According to the indictment, Elvis Harold Reyes, 56, of Brandon, owned and operated EHR Ministries Inc., and portrayed himself as an immigration attorney, pastor, accountant, immigration expert, former immigration official and former federal law enforcement officer.

Edgar Vinicio Guzman-Borja was arrested by the NYPD Feb. 2, on the charges of sexual abuse 1st degree: contact with victim less than 13 and act in manner to injure child less than 17.