FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested a of violent criminals in the country illegally who have been convicted of heinous crimes in the United States. 

Among those ICE arrested are five men from Mexico or Guatemala, some with sexual crime convictions, including crimes committed against children. 

Erik Eusevio Cortez-Leyva, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child in McLennan County, Texas. 

Salvador Rayas-Rodriguez, also in the country illegally from Mexico, was convicted in Sacramento, California, of lewd and lascivious acts with a child—specifically, oral copulation with use of force or injury. 

Sergio Tomosely, another illegal immigrant from Mexico, was convicted for robbery in Queens, New York. 

Mainor Roberto Ramos-Lopez, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was convicted for causing fire to structure, forest, or land in the Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino. 

Melchor Brito-Lopez, also an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was convicted for sexual battery in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. 

“Yesterday, the men and women of ICE continued to make American communities safer by arresting rapists, pedophiles, arsonists and other depraved criminal illegal aliens. Our officers risk their lives every single day to get criminals out of American neighborhoods,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.  

“Under President Trump, if you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will find you and we will arrest you. We will always put American families, American children, and American lives FIRST.” 

According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, “nearly 70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the United States.” The department’s website includes a “Worst of the Worst” page to highlight criminal illegal immigrants arrested in various states. 

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is highlighting the worst of the worst criminal aliens arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the web page reads. “Under DHS leadership, the hardworking men and women of DHS and ICE are fulfilling President Trump’s promise and carrying out mass deportations—starting with the worst of the worst—including the illegal aliens you see here.” 

ICE has been in the news in recent weeks amid efforts to fund the agency during a partial government shutdown affecting DHS, which is now under the leadership of DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, formerly a senator for Oklahoma.