U.S. immigration authorities are taking aim at California’s sanctuary city policies after announcing the arrest of nine alleged sex offenders during a two-day targeted operation in the greater Los Angeles area.
The arrests took place on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“These individuals, all with prior convictions for sex crimes, were taken into custody as part of ICE’s ongoing commitment to public safety and the removal of dangerous criminals from our communities,” the federal agency said Thursday. “They will face justice for their crimes and will be removed from the United States, never to terrorize our communities again.”
ICE provided the following information about the suspects:
— Lucas Rendon-Hernandez: “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of arranging to meet and sexually abuse a child — sentenced to just three days in jail … ICE issued an immigration detainer against him, but local authorities refused to honor it; instead, they released him into the community, forcing ICE officials to arrest him at-large”;
— Darwin Vazquez-Ramos: “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and registered sex offender with convictions in Texas, Virginia and Maryland”;
— Daniel Bran Rivas: “a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of rape and forced oral sex”;
— Juan Parra Gomez: “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of child rape … He also has a pending vandalism charge. Parra Gomez was sentenced to two years in prison. Local authorities released him before ICE could lodge an immigration detainer against him — forcing immigration officials to arrest him at-large in the community”;
— Luis Alfonso Juarez: “a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child under 14”;
— Jose Montero Pena: “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of lewd acts with a child under 14 — sentenced to just 288 days in jail”;
— Amadeo Castellanos-Urbano: “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of continuous child sexual abuse — sentenced to 12 years in prison”;
— Andres Sanchez Ortiz: “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico with convictions in California and Nevada for attempted kidnapping, continuous child sexual abuse and DUI”;
— Feliciano Olivares: “a criminal illegal alien from Mexico convicted of lewd acts with a child, forgery and contempt of court.”
Separately, ICE on Saturday announced the arrest of Javier Arreguin-Aguirre in the Los Angeles area, describing Arreguin-Aguirre as a registered sex offender who was in the country illegally from Mexico. Authorities said he was convicted of forcing a child under 14 to engage in oral sex. He’s was in ICE custody pending removal.
“ICE isn’t going to stand idly by while criminal illegal alien sex offenders roam Los Angeles or any other community,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement provided to City News Service. “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.”
The officials added that since Jan. 20, 2025, “California under Governor Gavin Newsom has refused to honor ICE’s immigration detainers on 4,561 criminal illegal aliens, instead releasing these dangerous criminals — including murderers and sex offenders — back into California communities, putting innocent lives at risk. … Sanctuary policies like those in California attract and harbor criminals while placing these public safety threats above the interests of law-abiding American citizens.”
Newsom’s office, however, insisted that California does cooperate with the federal government when it comes to removing criminals from state prisons.
“Governor Newsom’s record on this issue has been clears: Since 2019, the CDCR has coordinated the transfer of 12,000+ individuals — including murderers, rapists, and other violent offenders — into ICE custody. State law currently allows CDCR to notify and coordinate with ICE to take custody of individuals convicted of felony offenses who have served their terms in California’s state prisons. Federal immigration officials don’t bother to pick up one out of every eight people released from our state prisons that have immigration detainers placed on them,” the governor’s office told CNS.
“California does not interfere with the federal government’s authority to enforce federal immigration laws with federal resources. SB 54 (the California Values Act) does not impede criminal investigations or sharing of information about an individual’s criminal history,” Newsom’s office added. “State law prioritizes public safety by allowing coordination with ICE for people convicted of, or who are facing, credible charges around violent or serious felonies or other crimes that threaten public safety. CDCR notifies ICE about all foreign-born people in their custody and coordinates with ICE when ICE requests cooperation on the release of noncitizens.”
Mayor Karen Bass, who’s been one of the most vocal critics of ICE’s presence in Los Angeles, did not immediately reply to a request for comment Saturday.
Los Angeles’ sanctuary policies generally prohibit local resources — most notably police officers — from taking part in federal immigration enforcement efforts. The policies generally mirror state law that bar local cooperation with federal authorities except in cases involving serious or violent crimes. Numerous other cities have also adopted sanctuary policies, including Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Ana and West Hollywood.