Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested nine illegal alien sex offenders during a two-day operation across the greater Los Angeles area, including convicted child rapists and predators who had been shielded from deportation by California’s sanctuary policies.
The arrests, conducted January 27-28, targeted individuals with prior convictions for sex crimes ranging from lewd acts with children to continuous sexual abuse. ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said the operation demonstrates the agency’s commitment to removing dangerous criminals from American communities.
“ICE isn’t going to stand idly by while criminal illegal alien sex offenders roam Los Angeles or any other community,” Lyons stated. “We’re here to enforce the law so we can protect our families, friends and neighbors — and by taking child rapists and other sexual predators like these nine off the streets, we can prevent recidivism and make an immediate difference in public safety.”
Since January 20, 2025, California under Governor Gavin Newsom has refused to honor ICE’s immigration detainers on 4,561 criminal illegal aliens, including murderers and sex offenders, releasing them back into communities. ICE currently maintains approximately 33,179 active detainers for criminal illegal aliens in California’s prisons.
Among those arrested was Darwin Vazquez-Ramos, a 42-year-old Mexican national with convictions in Texas, Virginia, and Maryland for third-degree sex offense, illegal reentry, trespassing, and driving while intoxicated. Juan Parra Gomez, 39, was convicted of sexual intercourse with a child and sentenced to two years in prison before local authorities released him before ICE could lodge a detainer.
Lucas Rendon-Hernandez, 37, was convicted of arranging to meet with a child and sentenced to three days in jail. ICE issued an immigration detainer, but local authorities refused to honor it, forcing agents to arrest him at-large in the community. Jose Montero Pena, 73, was convicted of lewd acts with a child under 14 and sentenced to 288 days in jail.
Amadeo Castellanos-Urbano, 50, was convicted of lewd acts and continuous sexual abuse of a child and sentenced to 12 years in prison. Andres Sanchez Ortiz, 53, has convictions in California and Nevada for attempted kidnapping, continuous sexual abuse of a child, and DUI, with a 16-year prison sentence for sexual abuse. Feliciano Olivares, 49, was convicted of lewd acts with a child and sentenced to 18 years in prison, with additional convictions for forgery and contempt of court.
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