ICE arrests 32 sex offenders in Long Island during Operation SOAR

NEW YORK – Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 32 convicted sexual predators during a 10-day period, ending Aug. 3 in Long Island in an enforcement effort dubbed, “Operation SOAR” (Sex Offender Alien Removal).

In the course of Operation SOAR, ERO officers apprehended 32 individuals with past criminal convictions ranging from sexual abuse to attempted rape. Of those arrested, 12 are registered sexual offenders. Each was taken into custody and is currently being detained pending the completion of removal proceedings. 

"ICE’s continuing commitment to making our communities safer is underscored by operations like this one targeting sexual offenders. These actions focus our resources on the most egregious criminals and promote public safety in the communities in which we live and work,” said Thomas R. Decker, field office director for New York. “ERO officers are out there every day enforcing immigration law with targeted enforcement actions. ICE will not waiver in its promise to arrest and remove criminal aliens from our neighborhoods.”

Among those arrested were:

• A 24-year-old Salvadoran national who was arrested and charged criminally with first degree sexual abuse and sexual contact with a victim less than 11 years old. Criminal charges are still pending. The victim in this case is a 4-year-old female. He was arrested in Wyandanch, Aug. 3 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.
• A 36-year-old national of Guatemala with a prior conviction of second degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child. The victim in this case was a 13 year old female. He was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years of probation supervision. The registered Level 1 sexual offender was arrested in Brentwood on Aug. 2 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• A 32-year-old Honduran man with prior convictions of criminal sexual act in the third degree, forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child, and sexual abuse in the third degree. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation supervision. The victim in this case was a 15 year-old female. He also has prior convictions of driving while intoxicated. This registered Level 1 sex offender was arrested in Brentwood, Aug. 1 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• A 38-year-old citizen and national of Ecuador with a prior conviction of the sexual misconduct with a 15 year-old female victim. He was arrested in Central Islip, Aug. 1 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• A 55-year-old Salvadoran man convicted of second degree rape and sentenced to one year in jail. The victim in this case was 12 years old. He was arrested in Copiague, July 27 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.
• A 21 year-old Haitian man with a prior conviction of two counts of promote a sexual performance by a child less than 17 years of age and sentenced to 10 years of probation supervision. The victims in this case were both 15 years of age. He was arrested in Riverhead, July 27 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• A 36-year-old Salvadoran man convicted of third degree rape and sentenced to 10 years of probation supervision. The victim in this case was 15 years old. He was arrested in Glen Cove, July 25 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• A 46-year-old Salvadoran national with a prior conviction of endangering the welfare of a child - sentenced to three years’ probation. The original charge was sexual abuse in the first degree: sexual contact with individual less than 11 years old. The victim in this case was 7 years old. He was arrested in Mineola, July 25, and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• A 45-year-old citizen of Trinidad and Tobago convicted of third degree rape of a victim incapable of consent and sentenced to 5 years of probation supervision. This Level 1 sex offender was arrested in East Hampton, July 29 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Criminal histories of those arrested during the operation are as follows: acting in a manner to injure a child, assault, third degree attempted rape, burglary, attempted sexual abuse, criminal sex act, endangering the welfare of a child, endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person, forcible touching, promoting a sexual performance by a child, public lewdness, first degree rape, second degree rape, third degree rape, reckless endangerment, first degree sexual abuse, second degree sexual abuse, sexual abuse:, forcible compulsion, sexual contact with an individual incapable of consent, and sexual misconduct.

The arrestees include nationals from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Mexico, Peru, and Trinidad and Tobago.

ERO deportation officers made arrests throughout Long Island, specifically in Nassau County: East Meadow, Franklin Square, Garden City, Glen Cove, Mineola Port Washington, Roosevelt, Uniondale, Westbury; and in Suffolk County: Amityville, Bayshore, Brentwood, Central Islip, Copiague, Deer Park, East Hampton, Hampton Bays, Islip, Islip Terrace, Riverhead, Wyandanch, Yaphank.

The foreign nationals arrested will be processed administratively for removal from the United States. The arrestees who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country. The remaining individuals are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future.

ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement operations every day in locations around the country as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls. These operations involve existing, established Fugitive Operations Teams.

During such enforcement operations ICE officers frequently encounter additional suspects who may be in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. Those persons will be evaluated on a case by case basis and, when appropriate, arrested by ICE.