EXCLUSIVE: Unpaid ICE Agents Continue to Arrest Pedophiles, Smugglers, Thieves as Shutdown Drags On

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, working without pay due to the government shutdown, arrested pedophiles, human smugglers, and thieves across the country on Tuesday.

“During the Democrats’ government shutdown, our ICE law enforcement officers are working without pay to arrest pedophiles, human smugglers, and other violent criminals from our streets,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

ICE agents are considered essential workers during the shutdown, so they are required to report for work without receiving paychecks for their service. About 200,000 officers have been working for free during the shutdown, now in its seventh day. They will be paid retroactively after the shutdown ends.

“We will not let the government shutdown slow us down from making America safe again,” McLauglin continued. “Our law enforcement officers are working around the clock to arrest and remove heinous criminals from our country.” 

These criminals, which DHS describes as the “worst of the worst,” include Jose Estrada-Hidalgo, an illegal alien from Mexico, who was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 14 years of age in Tarrant County, Texas.

Jose Estrada-Hidalgo

Agents also arrested Milton Omar Valdez-Carrasco, another illegal alien from Mexico, who was convicted of criminal sexual contact with a minor in Vineland, New Jersey.  

Milton Omar Valdez-Carrasco

Silvino Juan Martinez-Montesinos, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was convicted of sexual conduct in New York.

Silvino Juan Martinez-Montesinos

Calixto Mendez-Gomez, an illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested after being convicted of solicitation to commit human smuggling in Maricopa County, Arizona.  

Calixto Mendez-Gomez

Rafael Puerto-Urbina, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, was apprehended due to being convicted of felony theft of property $10,000 to 60,000 in Shelby County, Tennessee.  

Rafael Puerto-Urbina

As the government enters week two of the shutdown, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem urged Americans to thank law enforcement officers for working without pay.

“We’re into the second week of the Democrats’ shutdown,” Noem said. “Our brave men and women of law enforcement—with families, bills, and car payments to make—continue to defend our homeland against violent criminals without pay. They are heroes.”

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