A series of quiet, highly coordinated sweeps across the New York City metropolitan area has ended with seven violent offenders back in federal custody, according to newly released details from federal immigration authorities.
The operations, spearheaded by specialized Fugitive Operations teams within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), specifically targeted undocumented individuals with prior convictions for severe, often predatory crimes. The resulting arrests have reignited a fierce, long-simmering debate over local sanctuary policies and public safety in America’s largest metropolis.
According to an agency briefing issued June 10, the dynamic of the sweep spanned a grim spectrum of offenses, ranging from homicide to the exploitation of minors.
The Profiles: Who Was Apprehended
Federal authorities released the identities and criminal backgrounds of the seven men detained during the targeted operation:
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Mosiah Wright: A Jamaican national who had previously been deported from the United States following a murder conviction in Minnesota. Beyond the homicide conviction, Wright’s criminal rap sheet includes past arrests for carrying a concealed weapon, drug possession, resisting law enforcement, and multiple probation violations.
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Jose Fuentes-Saravia: An El Salvadoran national with a prior conviction in New York for the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 11.
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Vicente Mejia-Marquez: Also a national of El Salvador, Mejia-Marquez holds a prior New York conviction for the rape of a minor under the age of 17.
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Jose Israel Chapa Flores: An Ecuadorian national previously convicted in New York for the forcible touching of the intimate or sexual areas of a child under the age of 17.
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Blas Alberto Diaz: An El Salvadoran national who had been formally removed from the U.S. once before, following a New York conviction for sexual contact with a person legally incapable of giving consent.
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Benjamin Quijada: A national of El Salvador with a prior assault conviction in New York. Quijada is also facing active, unresolved warrants out of Maryland for child abuse and the sexual abuse of a minor.
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Franklin Saul Banegas-Cevallos: A Honduran national convicted of attempted drug possession in New York, who currently faces separate, pending local charges for the sale of a controlled substance.
A Systemic Clash: ICE Takes Aim at “Sanctuary” Policies
The operations underscore a deeper, structural friction between federal immigration enforcement and local municipal governance. In tandem with the announcement of the arrests, Kenneth Genalo, the Field Office Director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in New York, leveled sharp criticism at local lawmakers.
Genalo argued that local “sanctuary” frameworks—which generally restrict local police from cooperating with federal immigration detainers—create unnecessary blind spots that endanger the public.
“While sanctuary politicians continue to prioritize criminal illegal aliens over law-abiding New Yorkers, our officers are on the front lines every day keeping our communities safe from murderers, rapists, and pedophiles that prey on our most vulnerable citizens,” Genalo said in a statement.
The director emphasized that despite the political roadblocks and the complexity of operating within a sanctuary jurisdiction, federal agents would maintain their current trajectory.
“Protecting New Yorkers from criminal illegal aliens will always be a priority for this office,” Genalo added. “We will never waver in our commitment to arrest criminal illegal aliens and remove them from our country.”
The individuals remain in federal custody pending the outcome of their respective removal proceedings or the resolution of outstanding local judicial matters.