Disclaimer: This article mentions alleged criminal activity against minors.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accused Cottonwood County, Minn., of refusing to honor a detainment order for a Guatemalan illegal alien accused of crimes against children.
In an X post on Tuesday, January 20, ICE announced the arrest of Samuel Eduardo Arevalo-Hernandez. According to ICE, Arevalo-Hernandez was charged with two counts of a sexual crime involving a minor.
Further information on Arevalo-Hernandez’s arrest was unavailable at publication, and his name had not yet appeared in Cottonwood County court records. It is unclear whether Arevalo-Hernandez was arrested in Cottonwood County or apprehended elsewhere and moved to Cottonwood County.
“This is who sanctuary city politicians and anti-ICE agitators are defending,” ICE wrote on X.
This is who sanctuary city politicians and anti-ICE agitators are defending:
Cottonwood County, Minnesota, refused to honor our detainer for this alleged child sexual predator. ICE still arrested him.
Criminal illegal alien Samuel Eduardo Arevalo-Hernandez of Guatemala was… pic.twitter.com/4uUvahHmK6
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) January 20, 2026
The Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Department had not publicly responded to ICE’s post as of publication.
Arevalo-Hernandez is the latest undocumented migrant accused of crimes against a child. ICE announced on Monday that Yasir Saud, an Iraqi criminal illegal alien who recently finished a five-year sentence for crimes against children, had been apprehended in late December, and an immigration judge ordered his removal. Saud previously pled guilty to possessing and distributing harmful material involving minors.
An investigation found Saud had 41 total files (29 videos and 12 images) constituting harmful material against minors.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem created a lengthy X thread on Monday, January 19, highlighting Minneapolis-based undocumented aliens with prior arrests, charges, or convictions involving crimes against children, including physical abuse and assault, who have been apprehended by ICE. Many of the recent arrestees come from Laos and Thailand, though some came from Guatemala.
PEACE AND PUBLIC SAFETY IN MINNEAPOLIS! We have arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals. In the…
— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) January 19, 2026
Noem also noted that several arrestees have had final orders of removal dating back over 10 years. One undocumented migrant allegedly had a final order of removal in March 2004 but remained in the United States. It is unclear whether Arevalo-Hernandez had a final order of removal.
Additionally, ICE issued a warning on Monday afternoon that it is targeting two sex offenders in St. Paul, Minn., who remain at large. It is unknown whether either suspect had been arrested as of Tuesday morning.
There is a growing problem of illegal aliens committing crimes against children. DHS announced the arrests of more than 150 illegal alien sex offenders in Operation Criminal Return (also called Operation Dirtbag) in Florida in November 2025. Operation Criminal Return apprehended more than 230 criminal illegal aliens in total.
If you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, or if you are a child who is being mistreated, call 800-422-4453 immediately. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
