March 9, 2007

ICE partners with the U.S. Attorney's Office and New Castle County Police to combat foreign gangs and child predators

WILMINGTON, Del. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO) for the District of Delaware and the New Castle County Delaware Police Department (NCCPD), today announced the arrest of 12 illegal alien gang members and a child predator from the Dominican Republic. The arrests occurred over the past four months as part of Operation Community Shield.

During the last four months, ICE special agents arrested the 12 suspected foreign-born illegal gang members and filed immigration detainers against 18 others currently incarcerated in Delaware jails. Operation Community Shield is a national law enforcement initiative that partners ICE with other federal, state and local law enforcement, combining resources, authorities and expertise in an effort to target, disrupt and dismantle transnational gangs. Additionally, over the last year, ICE in Delaware has arrested over 275 illegal aliens. Forty-five of those have been prosecuted criminally, including the following suspected gang members:

• Esvin Rolando Imul-Lopez, a Guatemalan national and a professed member of the MS-13 transnational gang organization, arrested and being criminally prosecuted for illegally entering the United States.



• Juan Aguilera-Zurita a Mexican national convicted for aggravated 2nd degree assault, arrested for illegal reentry after removal of an aggravated felon.



• Manuel Ortiz-Camacho, a Mexican national currently under federal prosecution for possession of counterfeit immigration documents.



• Jose Curiel-Estrada, a Mexican national arrested and criminally prosecuted for illegally entering the United States.

As part of Operation Predator, ICE agents apprehended Edison Amelio Ferreira, a 26-year-old national of the Dominican Republic, convicted of unlawful sexual contact with a 13-year-old. Ferreira will be criminally charged for illegal entry into the United States. ICE developed Operation Predator as an initiative to identify, investigate and arrest subjects involved in criminal sexual activity related to minors. Officially launched in July 2003, Operation Predator draws on ICE's unique investigative and enforcement authorities to safeguard children from foreign national sex offenders, human traffickers, international sex tourists, and child pornographers. Nationwide since 2003, more than 9,500 offenders have been arrested as the result of Operation Predator.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. Investigators staff this hotline around the clock. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may also be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.

This past year, to more effectively address the issues specifically affecting the Delaware area, ICE established a permanent contingent of ICE special agents in Wilmington, Delaware, led by Resident Agent in Charge William Lowder.

"Street gangs and child predators pose a growing public safety threat to communities across the nation. Working in partnership with local law enforcement to take these individuals off the streets and remove them from the United States is a priority for ICE" said, John P. Kelleghan, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Pennsylvania and Delaware. "Our resident agent in charge, William Lowder, and the NCCPD have taken a leading role in this effort in Delaware, and through our joint efforts, in concert with other local law enforcement agencies and with the support of the U.S. attorney's office, we will continue to bear our substantial combined authorities to arrest, prosecute and remove these dangerous criminal elements."

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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