Even as the Democrat-led government shutdown drags on, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents continue taking some of the most dangerous criminal aliens off American streets—all while working without pay.
Federal officials confirmed that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations teams are still conducting daily arrests targeting violent offenders, including child predators, drug traffickers, and armed robbers. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin praised the agents’ dedication, saying they “risk their lives to arrest pedophiles, murderers, drug traffickers, and other violent thugs from American communities.”
“Not only are these law enforcement officers risking their lives amid a 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them, bounties on their heads, and threats to their families from foreign and domestic terrorists, but they are now working without pay because of the Democrats’ government shutdown,” McLaughlin said. “It’s time for Democrats to end the shutdown so our ICE officers can get their paychecks as they work to make America safe again.”
Below are five of the worst of the worst criminal aliens arrested this week by ICE officers operating without federal pay:
- German Morachel-Lopez — a Mexican national convicted of course sexual conduct against a child in Queens, N.Y.
- Isidro Carrera-Rodriguez — a Mexican national convicted of third-degree assault and offensive touching in New Castle, Del.
- Adrian Alberto Morales-Maldonado — a Mexican national convicted of aggravated robbery in Hidalgo County, Texas.
- Wenceslao Alvarez-Alvarez — a Mexican national convicted of importation of a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit money laundering in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
- Edgar Ivan Ponce-Aldaco — a Mexican national convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 kilograms of marijuana in Comstock, Texas.
These arrests highlight ICE’s continued commitment to public safety even as agents face mounting personal and professional challenges. The Department of Homeland Security reports a steep rise in assaults against ICE officers nationwide, alongside growing threats linked to transnational gangs and human-trafficking networks.
Officials say the agency’s mission will continue uninterrupted, with officers prioritizing the removal of violent offenders despite the political stalemate in Washington.
