An individual who entered the country illegally and was convicted of conspiring to murder a teenager with a baseball bat in the Philadelphia area is among the group of criminal illegal immigrants recently apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) nationwide. ICE officials in Philadelphia arrested Bou Khathavong, an illegal immigrant and dual citizen of Laos and Thailand, on July 25. Khathavong had previously been convicted of conspiracy to commit murder in Pennsylvania.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) highlighted other criminal illegal immigrants arrested in recent weeks, including pedophiles, drug traffickers, and individuals convicted of child cruelty, neglect, and involvement in a fatal hit-and-run.
One of the individuals mentioned was Santiago Geovany Garcia-Rosales, a 35-year-old from Guatemala who was convicted of failing to stop and render aid in a death case in Harris County, Texas. ICE Houston arrested him on July 28.
Hector Bonaparte-Contreras, a 42-year-old criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, was arrested by ICE on July 24. He had been convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault on a child under 13 in Chicago.
Julio Armando Gomez-Fernandez, another illegal immigrant from Mexico, was apprehended by ICE in Dallas on July 27. He had previous convictions in Colorado for meth possession with intent to distribute and unlawful re-entry.
Manuel Loja, a criminal alien and sex offender from Ecuador, was arrested by ICE Newark on July 24. He had been convicted of child cruelty and neglect in New Jersey.
According to DHS, 70% of ICE arrests involve illegal immigrants with criminal convictions or pending charges. The agency stated that, under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, DHS is prioritizing the safety of American citizens by removing these public safety threats from communities.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin criticized the Biden administration for allowing dangerous criminals to enter the country. She praised the renewed ICE enforcement under Trump for prioritizing the arrest of the most dangerous criminal illegal immigrants.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
