Exclusive: ICE gives Christmas gift to Americans by arresting 'worst of the worst' criminal migrants

The arrests occurred Thursday and includes an illegal migrant from Chile who is allegedly part of the transnational organized crime enterprise the South American Theft Group. The migrant was convicted of burglary in California.

Published: December 19, 2025 5:25pm

The Department of Homeland Security on Friday shared its latest "worst of the worst" roundup of illegal migrants with Just The News that includes migrants who were convicted of burglary, bank robbery and aggravated kidnapping.  

The arrests, made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, occurred Thursday and includes an illegal migrant from Chile who is allegedly part of the transnational organized crime enterprise the South American Theft Group. The migrant was convicted of burglary in California. 

“Violent criminal illegal aliens who break our laws have absolutely no business remaining in the United States,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “We are thankful for our law enforcement who delivered the best Christmas gift for American families this holiday season: safer communities.” 

The arrests are part of the Department of Homeland Security's mission to enact President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda of removing as many as 21 million illegal migrants from the United States. 

One of the migrants identified by ICE is Luis Enrique Castaneda-Reyes, a criminal illegal migrant from Colombia, who has 10 criminal convictions that include bank robbery by force and violent crimes involving drugs and a machine gun.

Another migrant is Elidelfo Castro-Nava, who is originally from Mexico but was convicted in Utah of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury in the 3rd degree.

Juan Emerson Gomez-Sorto, a migrant from El Salvador, was also convicted of aggravated assault in Utah and Jesser Sandoval-Cruz, a criminal illegal migrant from Honduras, was convicted of assault of a family member after a previous conviction in Harris County, Texas.  

The full list of the Trump administration's' "worst of the worst" illegal migrants can now be found on the DHS website wow.dhs.gov, which documents the most extreme offenders apprehended by ICE.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.

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