DHS highlights worst illegal criminals arrested in Ohio; US attorney pursues charges for illegal reentry

Immigration officers continue to arrest the “worst of the worst” illegal immigrant offenders in Ohio, while federal prosecutors pursue charges for illegal reentry, drug trafficking and other crimes.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a new round of arrests in the Buckeye State, including sexual predators, violent assailants, drunk drivers and drug traffickers. ICE agents have been conducting targeted enforcement operations in Columbus and elsewhere.

Ohio has been in the news for several fatalities by illegal immigrant truckers and Medicaid and food stamp fraud, often linked to immigrant communities.

“In the great state of Ohio, ICE has arrested illegal aliens with criminal histories that include gross sexual imposition, strangulation, driving while intoxicated and trafficking cocaine,” U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “DHS is committed to protecting every American’s backyard, and that starts with deporting as many illegal aliens as possible.”

According to a DHS news release, Julio Cesar Perez Alvarez, a Mexican national, was arrested Oct. 15 in Columbus, Ohio. His criminal history includes a conviction for gross sexual imposition. 

ICE also located a convicted drug trafficker, Christopher Antonio Rodriguez Molina, of Honduras, in Columbus and arrested him Oct. 13.

Sebastian Alejandro De Leon, of Guatemala, was arrested Oct. 2 in Clairsville, Ohio. He has prior convictions for strangulation, operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated and disorderly conduct.

The southwestern part of the state has experienced an influx of migrants from Haiti, West Africa and Uzbekistan, followed by the rapid expansion of Uzbek-owned trucking operations.

In nearby Chillicothe, Sardor Tirkashev, of Uzbekistan, was arrested Oct. 7. His criminal history includes convictions for two counts of aggravated assault and robbery.

ICE also tracked down Colombian national Isidoro Cruz Bernal on Oct. 21 in Chillicothe. His criminal past includes a conviction for conspiracy to commit burglary and arrests for grand theft and possession of burglary tools.

DHS has taken a multi-agency approach to immigration enforcement nationwide.

Besides arresting illegal immigrants with criminal records and taking them off the streets, federal prosecutors are pursuing charges for illegal reentry, which is a felony, and other crimes.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Ohio has filed charges or secured guilty pleas from several illegal immigrants this month.

On Oct. 29, a federal grand jury indicted Fernando Geron-Lopez, a Mexican citizen, on illegal reentry after he was arrested by the Ohio State Highway Patrol for suspicion of operating a motor vehicle under the influence.

Geron-Lopez, 35, of Columbus, has been removed from the United States five times, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In August, ICE officers encountered Geron-Lopez after his traffic stop and local arrest. He has a prior conviction in Franklin County, Ohio, for attempted felonious assault and prior arrests for domestic violence and aggravated menacing.

On Oct. 21, Lucas Gonzalez-Bermudez, 29, also a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and immigration crimes, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Gonzalez-Bermudez admitted to conspiring to traffic more than 400 grams of a fentanyl analogue, a crime punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison. He also pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States as an illegal alien.

According to court documents, between August and September 2025, Gonzalez-Bermudez participated in a narcotics conspiracy involving para-flurofentanyl. Agents executed a search warrant at an apartment associated with the defendant and recovered the drugs.

Earlier this month, Jamie Cruz-Bobadilla, 42, from Mexico, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to illegally reentering the United States after previously being convicted of a felony crime.

Cruz-Bobadilla returned to the United States illegally after being deported in 2012 following a prison term. In spring 2012, Cruz-Bobadilla was convicted in Wake County, North Carolina, of four felonies related to cocaine trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In another illegal reentry case out of the Southern District of Ohio, Miguel Camarena-Salazar, 37, of Mexico, was taken into federal custody after being charged by a federal grand jury with felony reentry of a removed alien. He is also a convicted sex offender.

In early October, a federal grand jury indicted Camarena-Salazar on the immigration offense before he finished his state prison sentence.

In February 2026, Camarena-Salazar was convicted of abduction in Delaware County, Ohio. Along with serving prison time, Camarena-Salazar is required to register as a sex offender under Ohio law.

According to the federal indictment, Camarena-Salazar was previously removed from the United States on three occasions: August 2015, December 2015 and June 2016.

Illegally reentering the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison. After a felony conviction, illegal reentry is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.