ICE Arrests 9 Violent Sex Offenders Roaming LA Thanks to California Sanctuary Policies
California’s extremely liberal sanctuary policies are under renewed scrutiny after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nine previously convicted sex offenders in Los Angeles, accusing state officials of releasing thousands of criminal migrants instead of honoring federal detainer requests.
ICE said the nine individuals – all convicted of sex crimes – were taken into custody during a targeted operation aimed at removing dangerous offenders from local communities. All nine “will face justice for their crimes and will be removed from the United States, never to terrorize our communities again,” the agency said.
Since Jan. 20, 2025, ICE said California has declined to honor 4,561 immigration detainers on criminal illegal immigrants, releasing offenders – including murderers and sex offenders – back into communities instead of transferring them to federal custody.
The agency added that it currently has more than 33,000 active detainers lodged in California’s local, state and federal jails and urged officials to cooperate so dangerous offenders can be removed from the U.S.
“ICE isn’t going to stand idly by while criminal illegal alien sex offenders roam Los Angeles or any other community,” ICE Director Todd M. Lyons said. “We’re here to enforce the law so we can protect our families, friends and neighbors – and by taking child rapists and other sexual predators like these nine off the streets, we can prevent recidivism and make an immediate difference in public safety.”
Local authorities released Juan Parra Gomez, 39, before ICE could lodge a detainer after he was sentenced to two years in prison for having sexual intercourse with a child, the agency said. Agents later arrested him in the community. He also faces a pending vandalism charge.
In another case, ICE said it issued a detainer for Lucas Rendon-Hernandez, 37, who was convicted of arranging to meet with a child and sentenced to three days in jail. Officials declined to honor it and released him, requiring agents to arrest him at large.
ICE also arrested Jose Montero Pena, 73, who was sentenced to 288 days in jail for lewd acts with a child under 14, and Amadeo Castellanos-Urbano, 50, who received 12 years in prison for lewd acts and continuous sexual abuse of a child.
Among the others taken into custody were Andres Sanchez Ortiz, 53, sentenced to 16 years in prison for sexual abuse with additional convictions for attempted kidnapping and driving under the influence; Feliciano Olivares, 49, sentenced to 18 years for lewd acts with a child; Daniel Bran Rivas, 30, sentenced to nine years for rape and oral copulation by force; and Luis Alfonso Juarez, 60, sentenced to 18 years for continuous sexual abuse and lewd acts involving a child under 14.
Probably democrats
they let over 4000 of these animals go…let that sink in…
LT: You don’t have a clue the legality or illegality of the 4,000+ releases; the one I checked was a parole after 16 years and no firm ground to even say a detainer was in front of them. They had 16 years of this guy in jail….. Plus, detainers are voluntary; there is no law being broken.
Grimes: they are not citizens and therefore, I really doubt they are Republicans or Democrats and they only voted in your mind…. Most Latino’s are Catholic, and, like Catholic citizens, they cross the political spectrum belonging to both parties. Didn’t you read PBP on the last election where Latinos voted Trump and PBP said Republicans crushed it with Latinos? Just saying.
Let’s be clear: deport all non-citizen criminals, IMO. Follow the law: IMO.
Federal Detainers, especially as ICE uses them, are not court orders but, instead, voluntary requests from the Federal Government. That’s the law here. You think detainers a good thing? If you think that’s OK, just wait until the IRS issues detainers for back taxes. Today, detainers do not have the legal force of a court order. Detainers are the weak tea of the legal system. Court orders can be received at the speed of light at the drop of a hat. Especially if you have unlimited money and human resources like DHS.
On the story, I honestly wonder how convicted guys can walk the streets; I thought they took em to jail upon conviction. Don’t they? Tell me how they avoid this? I don’t understand the process to let them walk. What law allows them to be convicted, givn time and then they walk out the courtroom door? Which process says: “u b convicted to ten years, go home and we will see you in a week….” I honestly do not understand and these stories don’t tell us. Love to be illuminated on that one.
I looked up one guy on this list. He served 16 years and was freed legally making him an ex-con, not a con on the run. Not sure why his immigration status did not come up or what it was. ICE has been known to snatch legal immigrants all the time. His past crime still seems worthy of deportation, but what’s the process, the status, that caused all this for this man. Unclear from the story. If he was a citizen, no way should he be snatched. At least if you believe in our prison rehabilitation and second chances. Most of the others on the list are not easily searchable.
Point is story is unclear as to why these convicts, if they are still convicts, got out of jail. There are a number of possibilities as to why these guys are on the street. In their desire to have their way, DHS jumbles them all together in one apparent single-finger to the government by States.
1. Could be like this guy I noted, by State Law, paroled or freed. Don’t know whether there was an open detainer in front of the State or not, but not being a court-document, does not have the e force of law. For a group that detests Federal Government overreach, surprised you are not on board with that. Like I said, where does that stop? Can the FDA pick you up by detainer for serving eggs with runny yolks?
2. What are the statistics on detainers that are not acted upon on the State when they could: how many, how often? How many are acted upon? And what States? IF the Federal Government is not funding the State for holding these folks for them, for not using State resources to implement the detainer, then the State, implementing State’s Rights, has every right not to do the Government’s job on the State’s dime. The Government has started paying bounties or funding this stuff; that’s the proper, legal, method to do this and honor State’s rights. Did they offer CA this option and did CA turn it down?
3. Just not sure the process of releasing convicted criminals, illegal alien or citizen, works and ICE is not telling.
4. Hernandez was sentenced to three days and should be released then; ICE is not clear whether the detainer was there, on it’s way, or what. ICE makes it sound like the State looked at the detainer and then let the guy go. So, where was ICE; why were they not there? They can airlift 3,000 thugs into Minneapolis but can’t spare one guy to get to a jail or court in LA? There’s 38 court houses in LA and 3,000 ICE agents in Minneapolis.
5. ICE lies a lot. Here they say; “California has declined to honor 4,561 immigration detainers on criminal illegal immigrants, releasing offenders – including murderers and sex offenders – back into communities instead of transferring them to federal custody” which sounds like convicted criminals. Then they say: “currently has more than 33,000 active detainers lodged in California’s local, state and federal jails and urged officials to cooperate so dangerous offenders can be removed from the U.S.” So, 33K are in jail and ICE can’t get them out? And 4,561 have been released. Illegally or what? Just seems to lack clarity what exactly is going on, and neither side seems to be totally spelling it out. Lots of FUD facts without clarity.
“Local authorities released Juan Parra Gomez, 39, before ICE could lodge a detainer after he was sentenced to two years in prison for having sexual intercourse with a child, the agency said.” How exactly did that release work and why couldn’t ICE lodge a detainer in time? Better yet, a freaking court order. Better yet, spare one of the 3,000 in MN to be in the courtroom. I mean the guy was in jail, went to court, seems like a good chunk of time for what a computer could accomplish at light speed. Or an ICE force larger than many standing armies across the globe. Just saying.
The story is good, accurate based on the facts given, but the facts are incomplete, as in all of these stories are, and the author does not question. ICE seems to be hiding something, obscuring, not clarifying what’s going on here. And the States are not much better explaining all this in it’s totality. Seems more political than factual. And I would really love to understand more, from all sides on what-the-fuck is actually going on here.
Sanctuary is pretty simple although surrounded by FUD by both sides. These communities want their inhabitants to feel safer, feel like the police are helping, not hunting them down, and willing to lend authorities a hand when needed and not live in fear of them. The community tends to shelter when masked men without warrants are disappearing their neighbors for the crime of being brown. The vast majority of the undocumented fill a necessary job role added to the tax coffers and gdp. They are not taking jobs citizens take. Legally, by the law, sanctuaries do not want to do the Federal Government’s work without resources or compensation; they can’t afford given strapped budgets and balanced budget constitutional requirements that many of you support and constitutionally mandate.
Detainers are voluntary requests that do not have the force of law that a warrant has. Given the sanctuary status, not honoring has financial and societal reasons. Especially if the Federal Government has declared war on immigrants, legal and undocumented, criminal and not (except for the border jumping misdemeanor) and is not footing the bill. In early 2025, the Trump government revamped an Obama program to offer payments, aka bounties, to local governments for help in completing detainers; in September they increased the dollar amounts paid which look quite lucrative. KY has law to do this; MS, Missouri, and AZ are working bills. Not sure of CA’s status in this. Seems that this is the way to go, a win-win that the story does not mention.
Perhaps the better way is for DHS to figure out how to get warrants faster. These can be done in hours, during or after hours, as well. I just don’t understand why detainers are even needed. DHS has more money than God. It has human resources exceeding the size of many national armies. Do not understand why they skip warrants in preference to a voluntary detainer request. The story does not mention.
Everyone wants criminals off the street, and if applicable, out of the country. PERIOD. The nation is split on whether we need to follow the rule of law to do this. ICE often operates outside of the rule of law. They expect people to do whatever these masked men with long guns without badges and paperwork say. Same as if a bad guy in a mask was kidnapping you where, by law, in most places, you can stand your ground when that happens. I find it amazing that has not happened more. Especially given all the stories about FICE (fake ICE) attacks on people. Over two dozen, minimum in 2025 and increasing in 2026 as some take vigilante status. Sanctuary Cities do follow the rule of law to reject the voluntary detainer requests. And their own constitutional mandate to maintain a balanced budget that the Federal Government does not operate under.
I suggest that pay-to-play is the order-of-the-day and otherwise, just stay away. Mic drop. ICE over and out.