On Saturday, December 27th, the day after Christmas, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the United States issued a public announcement declaring that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had apprehended 10 “most heinous illegal immigrant murderers, drug traffickers, and gang members” on the day before and on Christmas Day.
The announcement stated, “ICE’s commitment to protecting national security never rests, even on Christmas…continuing to arrest the worst illegal immigrant criminals nationwide, including those convicted of murder, drug trafficking, and robbery.”
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said, “On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, as families across the country gathered to celebrate Christmas, our ICE officers sacrificed their time with their families, risking their lives to bring the most heinous criminals to justice. We are grateful for our law enforcement officers!”
She described this operation as the “most precious gift of 2025”.
The announcement included photos of the 10 criminals, along with descriptions of their respective crimes such as murder, aggravated assault, burglary, weapons offenses, drug trafficking, as well as details of the locations and processes of the crimes committed.
The announcement did not mention why the criminals were not serving time in prison when they were apprehended.
According to reports from WRGA, the arrests spanned multiple states and the individuals involved were from Mexico, Cuba, Somalia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Sudan, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.
According to Fox News, this announcement from DHS is a significant part of ICE’s expanded enforcement efforts, focusing on those who are in the United States without legal immigration status and have criminal convictions, for arrest and deportation. DHS recently launched an online database called “Arrested: Worst of the Worst”, specifically showcasing these types of cases.