ICE Newark Arrests 4 Registered Sex Offenders, Feds Say

NEWARK, NJ — Federal immigration authorities from Newark released details about four arrests involving sex crimes against children on Monday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Newark, alongside partners from Enforcement and Removal Operations-Newark, announced the following four arrests:

• Personnel with ICE HSI and ERO Newark arrested Gerson Jose Saenz Umana, a 27-year-old El Salvadorian national, and Javier Garcia Nicolasa, a 42-year-old Mexican national, on July 21. Garcia Nicolasa was convicted on Dec. 1, 2023, of endangering sexual conduct with a child by caretaker. He was sentenced to three years in prison. He entered the U.S. on an unknown date and through and unknown location. Umana is a registered sex offender with a sealed criminal history that involves the exploitation of a child. He was first encountered near Falfurrias, Texas, in November 2012 as an unaccompanied alien child, authorities said.
• On July 17, HSI and ERO Newark personnel arrested Juan Villatoro Valle, from El Salvador, and Reyes Peralta-Salazar, from Mexico. Villatoro Valle, age 45, was convicted on Aug. 2, 2019, of sexual assault involving a victim under the age of 13, aggravated criminal sexual assault, and endangering with sexual conduct. He was sentenced to five years in prison. Villatoro Valle entered the U.S. without inspection sometime before 2000. He was granted Temporary Protected Status in 2006, but his application for permanent residency was denied in 2009. Reyes Peralta-Salazar, age 38, was arrested on Sept. 14, 2023, for criminal sexual conduct and endangering – sexual conduct with child. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail. Peralta-Salazar entered the U.S. without inspection at an unknown date, authorities said.

All four arrestees were required to register as sex offenders in the state of New Jersey. Each arrestee is being held in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge or deportation, authorities said.

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