U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested people across the country over the weekend, the Department of Homeland Security announced on September 14, 2026. DHS identified 15 people whom it described as being in the country illegally and said all had criminal convictions, including for murder, child sexual abuse, drug trafficking, kidnapping and robbery.
The announcement did not provide the dates or circumstances of the individual arrests, their current detention locations or details about pending immigration proceedings. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the arrests were part of the Trump administration’s effort to arrest and remove people who are in the United States illegally and whom the department considers public-safety threats.
People identified by DHS
- Ramon Bonifacio of the Dominican Republic, convicted of murder and cocaine possession in Mineola, New York
- Juan Nunez-Avalos of Mexico, convicted of voluntary manslaughter, carjacking and possession of a weapon in prison in Los Angeles, California
- Hector Chavez-Ramos of Guatemala, convicted of sexual assault/sodomy of a minor in Auburn, Alabama
- Gerardo Mato-Herrera of Mexico, convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child in Santa Clara, California
- David Jean Charles Pena-Melo of the Dominican Republic, convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a minor, sex assault and drug trafficking in Shirley, Massachusetts
- John Alejandro Manrique-Osorio of Colombia, convicted of luring or enticing a child for indecent purposes in Hudson County, New Jersey,” DHS saidJohn Alejandro Manrique-Osorio of Colombia, convicted of luring or enticing a child for indecent purposes in Hudson County, New Jersey,” DHS said
Other people named by DHS were Carlos Coello-Gonzalez of Cuba, convicted of kidnapping, robbery and drug trafficking in Las Vegas, Nevada; Francisco Sanchez-Villarreal of Mexico, convicted of possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine in McAllen, Texas; and Agustin Naranjo-Chavez of Mexico, convicted of conspiracy to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
The department also identified Phuoc Nguyen-Ngoc of Vietnam, convicted of possession with intent to distribute and burglary in Los Angeles; Oniel Barzey of Montserrat, convicted of manufacture with intent to deliver and possession of prohibited firearms in Philadelphia; Jesus Flores-Canales of Mexico, convicted of drug trafficking in the Western District of Oklahoma; and Osmar Lopez-Joya of Mexico, convicted of transportation of child pornography in Brooklyn, New York.
The remaining people named were Carlos Ernesto Montecinos of El Salvador, convicted of malicious wounding, immigration document fraud and credit card fraud in Fairfax, Virginia, and Salomon Hernandez-Najera of Mexico, convicted of second-degree burglary in Rensselaer County, New York. DHS directed the public to its website for additional examples of arrests but provided no further information in the announcement about removal orders or deportation dates for the 15 people listed.