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A Christmas operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called “Angel's Honor” in honor of slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley drew more than 1,000 people. illegal criminalsthe agency reports.
In a statement Monday, ICE announced the “successful completion” of a 14-day enforcement operation that it said resulted in the arrests of more than 1,030 illegal alien criminals. Laken Riley's Law.
The agency said the operation was codenamed “Angel's Honor” in memory of Riley, who was killed by Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra in 2024. In January, Congress passed the Laken Riley Act with bipartisan support, and the measure was signed into law by the President. Donald Trump shortly after he took office.
The law provides for mandatory detention of noncitizens accused of specific crimes, including burglary, theft, theft, shoplifting, assault on a law enforcement officer, or any crime resulting in serious bodily injury or death.
Jose Ibarra (left) was found guilty of 10 counts in the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley (right). (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
In a statement Monday, the Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Trump “gave us the authority to arrest and deport millions of violent criminal illegal aliens unleashed on the United States by the previous administration.”
“Now these criminals will be brought to justice and removed from our country,” Noem said.
“We will never be able to bring Laken back, but we can do everything in our power to bring these heinous criminals to justice,” she continued, adding, “I am so proud of what our brave men and women of ICE have done to get these criminals off the streets of America.”
ICE singled out some of the illegal alien criminals arrested in the operation, including individuals who raped and tortured children.
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ICE agents during an immigration enforcement operation in Houston, Texas, earlier this year. (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Among those arrested was Jamie Escobar-Mirales, a 37-year-old man. illegal alien from Mexicowho was arrested on December 18, according to ICE. His criminal history includes an arrest on two counts of child rape, according to the agency. He is now facing deportation proceedings.
Another illegal immigrant from Mexico, Javier Diaz-Cabrera, 40, was arrested on December 18. He has a criminal history that includes an arrest for unlawful sexual contact with a victim under the age of 13 and sexual assault of a victim under the age of 18 by a guardian.
Evelyn Martinez-Rodriguez, a 36-year-old girl from Honduras, was arrested on December 9. ICE said her criminal history includes arrests for assault, torture/intentional child abuse, domestic violence, assault and public order crimes.
Another illegal immigrant, Fredy Garcia-Canan, a 34-year-old man from Guatemala, was arrested on December 19. He has an outstanding removal order from 2024 and has a criminal history that includes arrests for intentionally causing bodily injury with a deadly weapon, criminal use of a firearm and aggravated child endangerment. Brandon Barrientos-Garcia, 28, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, was also arrested on December 19. According to ICE, his criminal history includes arrests for assault by strangulation, breaking/entering with intent to terrorize/injure, and domestic violence.
From left to right: Jamie Escobar-Mirales, Javier Diaz-Cabrera, Evelyn Martinez-Rodriguez, Fredy Garcia-Canan, Brandon Barrientos-Garcia, Fernando Manzanares-Cruz, Braulio Rosas-Ayala. (Salvan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images; ICE)
Fernando Manzanares-Cruz, a 40-year-old man from El Salvador, was arrested on December 16 and has been ordered deported since 2016. His criminal history includes arrests for assault and battery of a pregnant victim, assault and battery of a family/household member, and witness intimidation.
Even further back ICE arrested Mexican illegal immigrant Braulio Rosas-Ayala, 44, who was ordered removed from the country by an immigration judge in 1999. Rosas-Ayala's criminal history includes arrests for rape and sodomy.
Commenting on the news release, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said, “We named this operation 'Angel's Honor' in honor of Laken Riley, whose life was tragically cut short due to unlawful alien crimes.”
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U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the House Homeland Security Committee at the Cannon House Office Building on December 11, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“This operation, while a huge success, also serves as a solemn reminder of the profound impact that immigrant violence and crime can have on victims and their loved ones,” Lyons said.
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“ICE’s mission,” Lyons said, “is to ensure that no American is ever again the victim of illegal crimes committed by aliens.”
