May 14, 2007

ICE special agents arrest convicted child predator, process him for deportation
Canutillo man served time for exposing himself to two girls walking home from school

EL PASO, Texas - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents on Friday arrested and placed into deportation proceedings a Canutillo man who was convicted two years ago on two counts of indecency with a child.

The Texas Department of Public Safety and El Paso Police Department assisted ICE special agents with the arrest and provided background information on this case.

Juan Carlos Aguilar, aka Juan Leal, 32, was arrested Friday morning at his home in the 7000 block of Doniphan Drive. Aguilar, a Mexican national, has been a legal U.S. resident since 1991. Following his arrest, ICE agents placed Aguilar into removal proceedings; he is detained at ICE's El Paso Processing Center. His deportation hearing before an immigration judge has not yet been scheduled.

Aguilar was released March 16 after serving a two-year prison sentence for a previous child predator conviction. In May 2004, Aguilar exposed himself to two sisters, ages 11 and 6, as they were walking home from school. According to police reports, Aguilar approached the girls near their home. He stepped out of his van naked and engaged in lewd and lascivious conduct in plain view of the girls. Aguilar was convicted on two counts of indecency with a child in March 2005. Even though he is a legal U.S. resident, his felony conviction renders him deportable.

Only days after Aguilar was released from prison, the El Paso Police Department responded to a call about a man who twice tried to lure a young girl into his car on March 19 and 20 near a Westside elementary school. Both times the young girl fled unharmed. El Paso police consider Aguilar to be a suspect.

"ICE special agents will locate and arrest anyone who sexually preys on our children," said Roberto G. Medina, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in El Paso. "Using our unique law enforcement authorities, ICE will also deport foreign national child predators after they serve their prison sentences."

El Paso Police Chief Richard Wiles said, "It is great when ICE can use federal statutes to remove a sexual predator from our community. In addition, when an individual commits a crime whether a U.S. citizen or not, we cooperate fully with federal agencies to insure the safety of our community."

Aguilar's arrest is part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 9,800 individuals, including more than 900 in Texas.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or www.cybertipline.com.

-- 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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