Several illegal immigrants arrested during the ICE raids that triggered the Los Angeles riots have serious criminal records, including charges of sexual assault, gang involvement, and even homicide. Among them is a Vietnamese national, Cuong Chanh Phan, 49, who was convicted for a mass shooting at a high school graduation party that shocked Southern California.
Phan was one of dozens arrested by ICE in Los Angeles over the weekend, sparking protests demanding their release. After he was thrown out of a graduation party in LA County in 1994, Phan returned with his gang member cronies and opened fire on a crowd of 30, killing two teenagers and injuring seven others.
Mass Shooter Protests Against Deportation
Phan is a convicted killer, found guilty of second-degree murder, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Another criminal taken into custody during the weekend ICE raids is 55-year-old Rolando Veneracion-Enriquez, a Philippine national.
He was previously sentenced to 37 years in prison for charges including assault with intent to commit rape and sexual penetration using a foreign object in Pomona, California.
Despite the serious criminal backgrounds of many of the illegal immigrants arrested, protesters tried to block ICE agents from conducting the weekend raids and gathered outside a downtown Los Angeles detention center, believing the detainees were being held there.
In response, President Donald Trump ordered the National Guard to help control the escalating demonstrations.
Officials within DHS and ICE expressed frustration, pointing to the disturbing criminal histories of some detainees and describing the protesters' actions as dangerously misinformed.
"That's who they're protesting for — the actual criminals that are being arrested, the sex offenders, the terrorists, all that," an ICE source told The New York Post.
"You have criminals, gang members, terrorists, child molesters, sex offenders that are being arrested, but since people don't know the background of the case or what's going on, everybody's innocent," the source added.
"It's disappointing to see that ICE was enforcing the immigration law and actually arresting criminals, but the public sees it as everybody's innocent, which is not true."
ICE Faces Serious Challenges
The list of violent offenders arrested during the ICE raids continues to grow. Among them is 44-year-old Armando Ordaz, a Mexican national who is reportedly affiliated with the Bratz 13 gang and has a prior conviction in Los Angeles for sexual battery.
Another person, Delfino Aguilar-Martinez, 51, also from Mexico, was arrested on Friday. He has a criminal conviction for assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily harm.
Over the weekend, authorities also arrested 55-year-old Lionel Sanchez-Laguna, another Mexican national. His criminal record includes firing a gun into an occupied home, domestic battery against a spouse or partner, and child cruelty. In addition, he has been convicted of assault with a firearm and driving under the influence.
On Friday, ICE also arrested Victor Mendoza-Aguilar, 32, a Mexican national with prior convictions in California for possessing illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, as well as assault with a deadly weapon.
Several other illegal immigrants arrested during the weekend raids have been convicted of crimes such as drug trafficking, robbery, grand theft, and smuggling undocumented individuals.
California officials, including Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, have criticized former President Trump, accusing him of fueling the unrest. They argue that his decision to send in the National Guard without approval or a formal request from the state only escalated the disorder.
However, the Department of Homeland Security believes California officials have misunderstood the situation — pointing to Phan's criminal background as a clear example supporting their stance.
