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Florida Republican Congressman Vern Buchanan publicly celebrated the arrest of Cuban national Enmanuel García Álvarez by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Bradenton, following a conviction for a sexual offense against a minor.
Buchanan posted the message on his official Facebook account accompanied by official graphic material from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Republican Party, which tagged the detainee in the "Worst of the Worst" campaign.
"Dangerous criminals have no place in our communities. ICE arrested Cuban national Enmanuel García Álvarez in Bradenton following a conviction for a sexual offense against a child. Thanks to law enforcement for protecting Florida families," the legislator wrote.
The official DHS portal registers García Álvarez with the specific charge of "sexual offense against a minor — touching," arrested in Bradenton, Florida, originally from Cuba.
According to official records from Manatee County and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), García Álvarez, born on October 23, 1995, was convicted on June 19, 2018, on two counts of lewd exhibition before a victim under 16 years of age, being the offender over 18, under Florida statute F.S. 800.04(7)(b).
Both convictions correspond to different legal cases processed in Manatee County, with a guilty verdict in both files.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office record, dated May 25, 2026, classifies him as a registered sex offender with "confinement" status under ICE custody, where he entered on November 13, 2025.
The FDLE confirms that the victim was a minor, although their gender is listed as unknown in the official documents.
The crime of lewd exhibition under Florida statute F.S. 800.04(7)(b) constitutes a second-degree felony when the offender is over 18 years old and the victim is under 16, involving sexual conduct without direct physical contact in the presence of the victim.
The case is part of the "Worst of the Worst" campaign by DHS, launched under the second Trump administration to publicize the arrest of undocumented immigrants with serious criminal backgrounds. Since the beginning of that administration, detentions of Cubans by ICE increased by 463% compared to October 2024.
Among other Cubans arrested by ICE in Florida as part of this campaign are Vladimir Blanco Menéndez, Allen Gómez, Reinier Fuentes Armentero, and José Rivera Orta, all facing charges related to sexual offenses against minors.
Buchanan, representative of Florida's 16th Congressional District since 2007—which includes the Gulf Coast area encompassing Bradenton and Sarasota—announced in January 2026 that he will not seek reelection, marking the end of nearly two decades in the House of Representatives.
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