32 Convicted 'Sexual Predators' Arrested On Long Island In Deportation Sweep: ICE

Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 32 convicted sexual predators during a 10-day period ending Aug. 3 on Long Island in an enforcement effort dubbed “Operation SOAR," authorities said.

In the course of Operation SOAR (Sex Offender Alien Removal), ERO officers apprehended 32 people with past criminal convictions ranging from sexual abuse to attempted rape. Of those arrested, 12 are registered sexual offenders. Each person taken into custody is currently being detained pending the completion of removal proceedings.

"ICE’s continuing commitment to making our communities safer is underscored by operations like this one targeting sexual offenders. These actions focus our resources on the most egregious criminals and promote public safety in the communities in which we live and work,” said Thomas R. Decker, field office director for New York. “ERO officers are out there every day enforcing immigration law with targeted enforcement actions. ICE will not waiver in its promise to arrest and remove criminal aliens from our neighborhoods.”

Among those arrested were:

• A 24-year-old Salvadoran national who was arrested and charged criminally with first-degree sexual abuse and sexual contact with a victim less than 11 years old. Criminal charges are still pending. The victim in this case is a 4-year-old female. He was arrested in Wyandanch on Aug. 3.
• A 36-year-old national of Guatemala with a prior conviction of second- degree rape and endangering the welfare of a child. The victim in this case was a 13-year-old female. He was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years of probation supervision. The registered Level 1 sexual offender was arrested in Brentwood on Aug. 2.
• A 32-year-old Honduran man with prior convictions of criminal sexual act in the third degree, forcible touching, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse in the third degree. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation supervision. The victim in this case was a 15-year-old female. He also has prior convictions of driving while intoxicated. This registered Level 1 sex offender was arrested in Brentwood on Aug. 1.
• A 38-year-old citizen and national of Ecuador with a prior conviction of sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old female victim. He was arrested in Central Islip on Aug. 1.
• A 55-year-old Salvadoran man convicted of second-degree rape and sentenced to one year in jail. The victim in this case was 12 years old. He was arrested in Copiague on July 27.
• A 21-year-old Haitian man with a prior conviction of two counts of promote a sexual performance by a child less than 17 years of age and sentenced to 10 years of probation supervision. The victims in this case were both 15 years of age. He was arrested in Riverhead on July 27.
• A 36-year-old Salvadoran man convicted of third-degree rape and sentenced to 10 years of probation supervision. The victim in this case was 15 years old. He was arrested in Glen Cove on July 25.
• A 46-year-old Salvadoran national with a prior conviction of endangering the welfare of a child was sentenced to three years’ probation. The original charge was sexual abuse in the first degree: sexual contact with an individual less than 11 years old. The victim in this case was 7 years old. He was arrested in Mineola on July 25.
• A 45-year-old citizen of Trinidad and Tobago convicted of third-degree rape of a victim incapable of consent and sentenced to 5 years of probation supervision. This Level 1 sex offender was arrested in East Hampton on July 29.

Those arrested include nationals from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Mexico, Peru and Trinidad and Tobago.

Deportation officers made arrests throughout Long Island. In Nassau County, arrests were made in East Meadow, Franklin Square, Garden City, Glen Cove, Mineola Port Washington, Roosevelt, Uniondale and Westbury. In Suffolk County, arrests were made Amityville, Bay Shore, Brentwood, Central Islip, Copiague, Deer Park, East Hampton, Hampton Bays, Islip, Islip Terrace, Riverhead, Wyandanch and Yaphank.

The foreign nationals arrested will be processed administratively for removal from the United States. The arrestees who have outstanding orders of deportation or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported are subject to immediate removal from the country. The remaining individuals are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future.