ICE Nabs Over 1,000 Criminal Illegal Aliens in Laken Riley Operation [WATCH]

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials apprehended more than 1,030 illegal aliens during a two-week nationwide enforcement effort conducted under the authority of the Laken Riley Act, according to information obtained by The Post.

The operation, known as Operation Angel’s Honor, concluded Monday and focused on identifying and arresting illegal immigrants with criminal records.

National operation, Angel’s Honor. 14 days. Over 1,000 illegal aliens detained.

In honor of Laken Riley whose life was taken by a violent, criminal illegal alien.

ICE’s mission is to ensure that no more Americans will fall victim to illegal alien crime. pic.twitter.com/2uRB2bVbHj

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) December 23, 2025

The operation was carried out in memory of Laken Riley, a nursing student who was killed last year while jogging.

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Riley was beaten to death by an illegal alien, a case that became a central reference point in congressional debates over immigration enforcement and criminal alien detention.

“These criminals will face justice and be removed from our country,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in a statement.

“We can never bring Laken back, but we can do everything in our power to bring these heinous criminals to justice. I am so proud of what our brave men and women of ICE have done to remove these criminals from America’s streets,” Noem said.

In honor of Laken Riley, @ICEgov launched Operation Angel’s Honor— in the last 2 weeks alone arresting more than 1,000 criminal illegal aliens under the authority of the Laken Riley Act.

President Trump has empowered us to arrest and remove the millions of violent criminal…

— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) December 22, 2025

The Laken Riley Act was named after Riley and was designed to prevent similar crimes by requiring the arrest and detention of illegal aliens who are caught committing certain crimes.

Those offenses include theft, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and other criminal violations.

The legislation marked the first bill signed by President Donald Trump during his second term in office.

Riley’s killer, José Antonio Ibarra, was an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.

He was convicted last year and sentenced to life in prison. Court records show Ibarra had a criminal history prior to the murder, including shoplifting and acting in a manner to injure a minor, among other offenses.

Federal officials have said the law is intended to prevent illegal immigrants with criminal records, like Ibarra, from remaining free in American communities.

Operation Angel’s Honor was launched as part of that effort, targeting individuals with serious criminal backgrounds.

Operation Angel’s Honor, a two week operation with state/local agencies honoring Laken Riley, showed the best of law enforcement protecting American citizens from the past admin’s disastrous open border policies.

Over 1,000 criminal illegal aliens arrested — with crimes ranging… pic.twitter.com/CUOfCnkZQR

— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) December 23, 2025

According to ICE, some of the illegal aliens arrested during the operation had been charged or convicted of crimes including rape, assault with intent to injure a law enforcement officer, indecent liberties with a child, and other violent or sexual offenses.

“This operation, while a massive success, also serves as a solemn reminder of the profound impact that immigrant violence and crime can have on victims and their loved ones,” ICE Director Todd Lyons said.

“ICE’s mission is to ensure that no more Americans will fall victim to illegal alien crime,” Lyons said.

The Department of Homeland Security provided details on a number of individuals described as some of the “worst of the worst criminal aliens” arrested during the operation.

Among them was a 37-year-old individual with a criminal history that includes rape, criminal obstruction of breathing or circulation, and assault with intent to cause physical injury.

Another individual arrested was Gomez-Diaz, 27, an illegal alien from Mexico who had previously been convicted of sexual exploitation of a child.

ICE also arrested Jimenez-Munoz, an illegal alien from Mexico whose criminal history includes being armed with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault on a female, assault with a deadly weapon with a minor present, domestic violence, and additional offenses.

Manzanares-Cruz, 40, was taken into custody as well.

His record includes arrests for assault and battery on a pregnant victim, witness intimidation, destruction of property, and assault and battery of a family or household member.

He had previously been ordered removed from the United States in 2016.

Another 37-year-old illegal alien from Mexico arrested during the operation had previously been charged with two counts of rape of a child.

ICE also identified an individual with a criminal record that includes illegal sexual contact with a victim under the age of 13, sexual assault of a victim under 18 by a guardian, and a conviction for evading responsibility for a physical injury.

Rosas-Ayala, who has a history of rape and sodomy, was also apprehended.

Records show he had been ordered removed from the United States in 1999.

A 28-year-old illegal immigrant from Guatemala was arrested as well, with a criminal history that includes assault by strangulation, burglary, breaking and entering to terrorize or injure, and domestic assault.

Beyond authorizing federal enforcement actions, the Laken Riley Act also gives states the authority to take legal action against the federal government if it fails to comply with detention and removal requirements outlined in the law.

However, officials in the Trump administration have pointed to another challenge: a lack of cooperation from some states and local jurisdictions that maintain sanctuary policies, which limit collaboration with federal immigration authorities.

ICE officials have said those policies complicate enforcement efforts, even as federal agents continue to use the tools provided by the Laken Riley Act to target and remove criminal illegal immigrants from American communities.