The Department of Homeland Security announced on September 11, 2026, that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested five people with prior convictions for sexual, violent or drug offenses. The named cases included convictions involving aggravated indecent assault of a child, second-degree rape, assault with a deadly weapon, heroin distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
DHS identified the five people as nationals of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Jamaica and described them as being in the United States illegally. The announcement did not provide the locations of the arrests, the immigration proceedings that may follow or additional details about the individuals’ current legal status.
- Eswin Garcia-Ispache, from Guatemala, was convicted of aggravated indecent assault of a child in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Mario Ochoa-Zapata, from Honduras, was convicted of second-degree rape and illegal re-entry in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- Hector Jimenez-Velarde, from Mexico, was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Placer County, California.
- Dalton McKay, from Jamaica, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin in the Western District of Tennessee.
- Juan Pardo-Pardo, from Mexico, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in Dallas, Texas.
Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin characterized those arrested as dangerous and said the enforcement action reflected the department’s mission to defend the United States and its residents. His statement linked the arrests to the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Mullin also said that more than 3 million people living in the country illegally had left the United States since President Trump returned to office. He further claimed that the administration had deported more than 2,000 known or suspected terrorists; the DHS announcement did not provide supporting data or explain the time period or methodology behind those figures.