Four out of 11 alleged sex offenders arrested during a police sting operation in Indiana are illegal immigrants from four different countries, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The men thought they were communicating with underage girls online before driving to meet them for what they believed were sexual encounters, authorities said. Instead, they were met by undercover detectives.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged detainer requests for the four suspects.
They were identified as: El Hadji Babacar Ndiaye, a Senegalese citizen who was caught and released at the southern border in September 2023 in Lukeville, Arizona, by the Biden administration; Lucky Philip Udoudo, a Nigerian citizen who entered the U.S. as a got-away at an unknown time and location; Filomeno Ricardo Flores Marin, a Mexican citizen who entered the U.S. illegally in Arizona in 2002; and David Josue Gomez-Posada, a Salvadoran citizen who came into the U.S. illegally in 2017 as a juvenile.
"We are calling on Indiana to honor our detainers," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News. "All of their claims will be heard by an immigration judge, and they will receive due process. This administration will not ignore the rule of law."
Marin is charged with two counts of sex offenses, and one count each of molestation of a minor and enticement of a minor for indecent purposes. His criminal history also includes a prior arrest for stolen property. He was previously arrested by ICE on Jan. 18, 2019, while assisting the Drug Enforcement Administration on an operation in Indianapolis, Indiana.
He was released on bond on March 7, 2019.
Udoudo is charged with child solicitation and sexual misconduct with a minor. Gomez-Posada is charged with child solicitation, and Ndiaye is charged with child solicitation.
"Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.," the DHS spokesperson said.
DHS noted that seven of the top 10 safest cities in the U.S. cooperate with ICE, adding that partnerships with law enforcement were critical to combating crime and arresting illegal immigrants.
The agency cited 40,000 arrests made in Florida and a two-week operation in West Virginia that resulted in the arrests of 650 illegal immigrants.