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More than 200 undocumented foreign criminals, many of them sexual predators of minors, originating from Cuba and other countries, were arrested in Florida during the "Operation Dirtbag", carried out jointly by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
The "Dirtbag Operation," officially named "Criminal Return Operation," lasted for 10 days and resulted in the arrest of at least 230 illegal immigrants with serious criminal backgrounds, including sex offenders, authorities from ICE and the Florida police announced this Thursday at a press conference.
The operation led to the arrest of 54 sexual predators, 164 sex offenders, two convicted murderers, one individual convicted of drug trafficking, and eight individuals charged with other serious crimes, reported Madison Sheahan, deputy director of ICE.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a statement, the operation targeted child predators, rapists, and violent foreign criminals with convictions for offenses such as sexual assault of minors, rape, lewd acts, child exploitation, assault, and attempted murder.
At the press conference, photographs of some of the apprehended individuals were presented, shared by DHS and ICE on their websites. Although the authorities did not detail the nationalities of all the detainees, they did publicly release pictures of five Cubans, one Venezuelan, and one Ukrainian, convicted of sexual offenses against minors.
Cubans detained in the ICE operation in Florida
Among those arrested is Sergio Velázquez Carnero, an illegal Cuban immigrant sentenced for sexually abusing a minor.
According to data from ICE, Velázquez Carnero, 63, was arrested on November 4th. In addition to convictions for lewd conduct against a minor and corruption of minors, his record includes petty theft, grand theft, and multiple violations of sex offender registration. An immigration judge had ordered his deportation on July 1, 2017.
Vladimir García, also with illegal status in the U.S., was found guilty of lewd and lascivious conduct against a minor between the ages of 12 and 15.
The 48-year-old Cuban migrant was arrested on October 25, and his criminal record includes possession of tools for theft, grand theft auto in the third degree, possession of cocaine, theft of an unoccupied vehicle, possession of marijuana, prowling, resisting arrest without violence, possession of cannabis, and violation of sex offender registration requirements. García also had a deportation order dating back to April 3, 2012.
On October 26, ICE arrested Frank René Gacita Borges, 51 years old, who has a conviction for lascivious sexual abuse of a 12-year-old minor in Miami, for which he was sentenced to four years in prison. An immigration judge ordered his removal from the country on March 17, 2022.
Saturnino Durán, a 69-year-old illegal immigrant, was convicted of lewd conduct with a minor. His arrest took place on October 25, and he has a final deportation order dated July 31, 2020.
Aniel Chávez Cera, 30 years old, was apprehended by ICE on October 29. His extensive criminal record includes attempted murder with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, possession of marijuana, possession of controlled substances, and burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. On December 8, 2022, an immigration judge had ordered his deportation from the U.S.
"These atrocious criminals have attacked children in their most vulnerable state, and law enforcement has responded firmly to remove them from their communities," stated the deputy director of ICE.
Sheahan highlighted the collaboration between ICE and the Florida FDLE as part of the 287(g) program, an agreement aimed at identifying, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants who pose a threat to public safety.
Through a statement on his social media, Governor Ron DeSantis emphasized that those arrested during the operation are among “the most dangerous criminal illegal aliens, with horrific criminal records, including sexual offenses against minors” and warned that they are now “off our streets and will soon be out of our country.”
DeSantis stated that Florida has been “the most active state in the United States in the fight against illegal immigration”.
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