(NewsNation) — Arrests of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border by federal immigration officials continue to drop to new record levels, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s apprehension of criminals who are considered “the worst of the worst” by the Trump administration continues to surge nationwide.
NewsNation was present for ICE’s apprehension of a convicted child sex offender in El Paso, Texas, last week. Jonathan Olvera Vega was found guilty of multiple crimes involving children under 14, including sexual abuse, indecency with a child by contact and aggravated sexual assault, all stemming from incidents between May and August 2021.
However, Vega was sentenced to probation and was placed on community supervision as of May. Vega was taken into custody without incident.
Vega’s arrest was part of a multiagency operation that also included the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. But the arrest that NewsNation witnessed in Texas is representative of other arrests that ICE is making around the country.
NewsNation has also confirmed that migrants who are being targeted by ICE because of criminal warrants or previous orders of removal from the United States have taken place in cities such as Atlanta, Philadelphia and Dallas.
ICE made a series of arrests across the country Sunday, NewsNation has confirmed, including the apprehensions of migrants with previous convictions for sex crimes against children, forcible touching, possession of methamphetamine with conspiracy to deliver and assault and battery on a law enforcement officer.
NewsNation also confirmed that ICE arrested a 34-year-old migrant from Mexico in Kansas City, who officials say was an admitted member of the Surenos Sur13 gang, who previously had been deported from the U.S. four times. All of those who have been apprehended remain in ICE custody pending an appearance before a judge who will determine if they will be deported.
The recent arrests by ICE come as U.S. Border Patrol officials announced that federal agents and officers made approximately 4,601 migrant arrests at the border in July. That tally was roughly 1,500 fewer than in June, which set a record for the fewest number of migrant arrests made at the border.
Trump administration officials, including White House border czar Tom Homan, have touted increased border security since January while pushing back against criticisms directed at how ICE is doing its job.
Despite complaints about masked ICE agents wrongfully arresting some migrants, Homan and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that the agency’s focus remains on those convicted of violent crimes and other serious offenses.
Border Patrol officials also announced that none of those arrested by federal officials at the border have been released back into the United States, a trend that has continued over the past three months, officials said.