In DHS release on 'murderers, pedophiles, rapists': an alleged Alexandria DWI
The press release lists 15 weekend arrests. It does not distinguish between violent and non-violent offenses.
The Department of Homeland Security named an Alexandria case in a press release Monday announcing ICE arrests of what it called “criminal illegal alien murderers, pedophiles, rapists, and more.”
The Alexandria arrest, according to DHS, involved Teodoro Del Carmen Velasquez-Benitez, of El Salvador, who the agency says was convicted of resisting arrest, trespassing, disorderly conduct, and driving while intoxicated.
The release listed 15 cases total. According to DHS, they include a man convicted of murder in New York, a man convicted of two counts of sexual assault on a minor under 14 in Nevada, and a man convicted of rape in New York.
The Alexandria case and a Fairfax case — Jaime Calzada-Salinas, whom DHS says was convicted of larceny — appear on the same list.
DHS did not explain the criteria for inclusion or distinguish between violent and non-violent offenses. The headline frames all 15 arrests under “Murderers, Pedophiles, Rapists, and More.”
The release also contains political messaging not typically found in law enforcement announcements prior to the second Trump administration. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin’s statement references the Super Bowl: “While ICE law enforcement was being demonized at the Super Bowl, the heroic men and women of ICE continued risking their lives to arrest criminal illegal alien murderers, pedophiles, and rapists from our communities.”
McLaughlin cited “smears from Hollywood” and claimed a “more than 1,300% increase in assaults” against ICE officers. DHS did not provide a source, baseline, or timeframe for that statistic.
The release states that “70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.” The figure includes both charges and convictions — distinct legal categories — and does not specify the types of crimes involved.
This is the second time in a week that DHS has named the Alexandria area in a press release. On Feb. 3, the agency issued a release tying an arrest at a federal immigration office to Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s executive order on ICE cooperation. That arrest occurred 17 days before Spanberger took office and involved only federal agents.
Multiple readers contacted The Alexandria Brief last week reporting possible immigration enforcement activity in the city. The Alexandria Brief has reached out to Homeland Security Investigations and ICE with questions.