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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Saturday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested some of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
While many Americans spent the holidays with their loved ones, ICE agents put “their lives on the line” to track down and arrest “gang members, murderers, drug traffickers, and violent thugs,” according to DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“While families across the country joined together for Christmas celebrations, ICE continued delivering the American people the greatest gift of all: getting criminals out of our neighborhoods and protecting our families,” McLaughlin said in a statement.
The arrests included illegal immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, Somalia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Sudan, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. All had past criminal convictions.
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Arrests made on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day included:
Samuel Juarez-Cruz, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, who was convicted of criminal homicide, third-degree murder and conspiracy to commit criminal homicide in Pennsylvania.
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Miguel Gonzalez-Toledo, an illegal immigrant from Cuba, who was convicted of homicide and drug trafficking offenses in Florida.
Mohamed Hassan Jeylani, an illegal immigrant from Somalia, with multiple convictions, including stolen vehicle possession, reckless endangerment, unlawful flight from police and drug-impaired driving.
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Lionel Arevalo-Rubio, an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, who was convicted of robbery in Los Angeles.
Juan David Vazquez-Reyes, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted of death by auto or vessel in New Jersey.
Marcos Archila-Aquino, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, who was convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon in Utah.
Juan Zarzoza-Garza, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, who was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Texas.
Yasir Emilio Lohai Ojok, an illegal immigrant from Sudan, who was convicted of second-degree burglary in California.
Leonardo Miliano, an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic, who was convicted of illegal firearm possession in Massachusetts.
Jose Arena-Ojeda, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, who was convicted of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and alien smuggling in Texas.
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“We are thankful for our law enforcement who sacrifice time with their family and put their lives on the line to remove the worst of the worst,” McLaughlin added.
DHS recently announced that more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the U.S. since President Donald Trump returned to office this year, citing a sweeping immigration crackdown it says has led to the “most secure border in American history.”
Fox News Digital’s Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.
