WASHINGTON STATE - The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Seattle office reported last week that it had arrested four illegal aliens across Washington State, a news release said.
MyNorthwest reported that the four were all criminal aliens with convictions or charges related to sexual assault.
One of those arrested was a Mexican national, Pedro Garcia-Lopez, 47. He was picked up Thursday in Yakima, law enforcement said. He has been charged with theft, lewd acts with a child under 14, and sexual battery.
The second suspect, Rubi Jeronimo Cruz, 22, of Guatemala, was arrested in Lynden. He was convicted of DUI with reckless driving and charged with rape of a child.
In Tukwila, Jaspal Singh, a 29-year-old Indian national, was arrested and charged with assault and sexual motivation.
Finally, 40-year-old Manuel DeJesus Zavala-Martinez, an El Salvador national and illegal alien, was arrested Wednesday in Centralia. He has convictions of numerous sex crimes, including assault with sexual motivation and assault with a deadly weapon.
ICE agents arrested another individual in Centralia on Wednesday, however, officials did not identify that person.
City officials confirmed the arrest. Centralia Mayor Kelly Smith stated in a Facebook post that she confirmed the arrest with the city’s interim chief of police, Andy Caldwell.
“Chief Caldwell just informed us that Federal ICE agents did arrest (likely for deportation) someone here in Centralia,” the mayor wrote.
Caldwell confirmed the suspect has “a lengthy and diverse arrest record,” including assaults, and is a “transient” member of the community. Caldwell said police did not assist in the arrest but were informed of it by ICE officials.
“Protecting our communities and preventing further victimization is of paramount importance to ICE throughout the Pacific Northwest,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Seattle Field Office Director Drew H. Bostock said in the news release. “These arrests reinforce the message that the presence of illegal criminal threats will not be tolerated.”
ICE said all four individuals will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
ICE told Caldwell its operations in the state are “purely focused on immigrants with criminal records.” Centralia officials said ICE is not targeting or sweeping the general population.
Meanwhile, the Seattle Times reported last week that two people were detained in Sunnyside in Yakima County, ostensibly for immigration offenses.
On Monday, Democrat Washington State Governor Bob Ferguson signed an executive order in Seattle that creates a “rapid response team” to support children and families in the event their illegal alien parents are arrested by ICE and suddenly deported.
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