Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested two foreign nationals described by officials as “vicious criminals” following targeted operations carried out in New Jersey and Texas. The agency confirmed that both women, who are now facing removal proceedings, have criminal histories involving offenses against children.
“These criminal illegal aliens victimized innocent children, the most vulnerable members of our society,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “ICE is ensuring that these criminals will never do this again. Our mission is about public safety and removing dangerous threats from this country, and we will not rest until our communities are safe.”
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Gladys Leticia Bustamente-Rios, a national of Honduras, was taken into custody on November 9 near her residence.
According to federal authorities, Bustamente-Rios has a criminal record dating back to 1997, when she entered the U.S. illegally and was subsequently charged with assault and a family offense. She served a five-year prison sentence for those crimes.
An immigration judge ordered her removal in August 1998, barring her from ever returning to the United States. She was deported in July 1999 but later reentered the country illegally, which authorities noted is a felony offense.
The second arrest took place on November 10 in Graham, Texas. ICE agents apprehended Maria Alejandra Gamarro-Quinonez, of Guatemala, while she was reporting for probation. Her probation was part of a deferred adjudication in a case involving child endangerment and abandonment.
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Gamarro-Quinonez originally entered the U.S. legally on a visitor visa but failed to depart by her mandated deadline in April 2007. She came to the attention of immigration officials again in 2013 after being arrested for theft in Sussex County, New Jersey.
Following her release on bond, her case moved through the immigration courts, resulting in a final removal order issued by a judge in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, on April 1, 2025.
Both women remain in federal custody pending their removal from the United States.
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