Christmastime ‘Angel’s Honor’ operation rounds up 1,000+ criminal illegal aliens

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, dubbed Operation Angel’s Honor, named after slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, has arrested more than 1,000 criminal illegal aliens, according to the agency.

In a statement released Monday, ICE announced the “successful conclusion” of a 14-day enforcement operation that it said resulted in the arrest of more than 1,030 criminal illegal aliens under the Laken Riley Act.

The agency said the operation was codenamed “Angel’s Honor” in memory of Riley, who was assassinated by Venezuelan illegal alien José Ibarra in 2024. Congress passed the Laken Riley Act with bipartisan support in January, and the measure was signed into law by President Donald Trump shortly after he took office.

The law provides for mandatory detention of noncitizens accused of specific crimes, including burglary, theft, shoplifting, assault on a law enforcement officer, or any crime resulting in serious bodily injury or death.

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Jose Ibarra, left, was convicted on 10 counts in the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, right. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)

In Monday’s statement, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Trump “gave us the authority to arrest and deport the millions of violent and illegal criminal 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 can never 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 at ICE have done to remove these criminals from America’s streets.”

ICE highlighted some of the illegal criminals arrested during the operation, including individuals who raped and tortured children.

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ICE agents during an immigration enforcement operation in the Houston, Texas, area earlier this year. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

Among those arrested was Jamie Escobar-Mirales, a 37-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, who ICE said was arrested on December 18. According to the agency, his criminal history includes an arrest for two counts of child rape. He is now the subject of removal 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 with a victim under the age of 18 by a guardian.

Evelyn Martinez-Rodriguez, a 36-year-old Honduran woman, was arrested on December 9. ICE said his criminal history included arrests for assault-torture/willful abuse of a child, domestic violence assault, assault and public order crimes.

Another illegal, Fredy Garcia-Canan, a 34-year-old from Guatemala, was arrested on December 19. He has been subject to a pending deportation order since 2024 and has a criminal history, including an arrest for intentional battery with a deadly weapon, criminal discharge of a firearm and aggravated endangerment of a child. Guatemalan illegal alien Brandon Barrientos-Garcia, 28, was also arrested on December 19. His criminal history includes an arrest for assault by strangulation, breaking and entering to terrorize/injure and domestic violence assault, according to ICE.

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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. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images; ICE)

Fernando Manzanares-Cruz, a 40-year-old Salvadoran, was arrested on December 16 and was subject to a deportation order dating back to 2016. His criminal history includes arrests for battery on a pregnant victim, battery on a family/household member, and witness intimidation.

Even earlier, ICE arrested Mexican illegal alien Braulio Rosas-Ayala, 44, whose deportation was ordered by an immigration judge in 1999. Rosas-Ayala’s criminal history includes an arrest for rape and sodomy.

Commenting on the raid, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said, “We named this operation ‘Angel’s Honor’ in honor of the memory of Laken Riley, whose life was tragically cut short by the illegal alien crime.”

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U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security in the Cannon House office building 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 becomes a victim of illegal alien crimes again.”