Three Cubans are among the undocumented immigrants arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during the so-called Operation Angel's Honor, a nationwide 14-day offensive that concluded this week.
The operation resulted in 1,030 detainees, among whom at least three Cubans were included, whose cases were detailed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as examples of the type of criminals they aim to remove from the country permanently.
One of them is Sergio Luis Hernández González, who has an extensive criminal record.
According to the DHS, he was convicted on 17 counts of theft, in addition to facing two charges of robbery, two for drug trafficking, resisting authority, vehicle theft, fraud, and other property crimes.
Another case is that of Avelino Lage-Caro, convicted for possession and sale of cocaine, as well as charges for firearm possession. Additionally, he faces an accusation of theft.
The third individual is Yorisane Lazo, convicted of intentional homicide committed with a weapon, as well as robbery and street assault with violence. Her inclusion in Operation Honor of the Angel reinforces the DHS's emphasis on cases considered high-impact due to their level of violence.
The deployment of ICE during those two weeks led to the arrest of undocumented individuals with criminal histories under the Laken Riley Act.
This legislation, the first signed by Donald Trump in his current term, mandates the federal detention of undocumented foreigners accused of crimes such as robbery, burglary, assaulting law enforcement officers, and any actions that result in serious injury or death.
The law is named after Laken Riley, a nursing student from Georgia who was murdered by a Venezuelan immigrant linked to the criminal gang Tren de Aragua. The attacker was arrested and released multiple times during the Biden administration before committing the crime that led to the creation of the law.
"In honor of Laken Riley, ICE launched Operation Angel Honor, which has arrested more than 1,000 criminal illegal immigrants under the authority of the Laken Riley Act in just the last two weeks," stated Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on X.
"President Trump has given us the authority to arrest and deport the millions of violent criminal illegal immigrants that the previous administration released into the United States. Now, these criminals will face justice and be expelled from our country," he added.
"We will never be able to bring Laken back, but we can do everything possible to bring these atrocious criminals to justice. I am very proud of what our brave men and women of ICE have done to remove these criminals from the streets of the U.S.," she said.
According to the official information published by the DHS itself, under the leadership of Donald Trump and Kristi Noem, more than 17,500 illegal immigrants with criminal records have been arrested for violations outlined in the Laken Riley Act.
Federal authorities indicated that arrests will continue nationwide and that this law will remain one of the cornerstones of the new immigration control strategy.
In that context, the cases of the three detained Cubans serve as an example of the kinds of actions that the government claims will intensify in the coming months.
Filed under:
