(SANTA ANA, CALIFORNIA) — The Department of Homeland Security announced on December 20, 2025, that recent ICE arrests of illegal immigrants with criminal records amount to a “Christmas gift to Americans,” casting the roundup as a holiday-season push for safer streets.
DHS tied the message to public safety and year-end enforcement, saying the arrests targeted people with serious convictions in multiple states as the agency promoted its immigration crackdown.
“This holiday season, ICE is working around the clock to ensure silent nights and safer streets.”
DHS said the announcement spotlighted the arrest of Bryan Steven Ramos-Guerrero, described by DHS as a member of the South American Theft Group, which it called a transnational organized crime enterprise. DHS said Ramos-Guerrero was convicted of burglary in Santa Ana, California.
DHS also identified Luis Enrique Castaneda-Reyes as an illegal immigrant from Colombia with 10 criminal convictions, including bank robbery by force and violent crimes involving drugs and a machine gun. DHS said those crimes were handled in the U.S. District Court for New Jersey.
Another arrest involved Elidelfo Castro-Nava, whom DHS described as an illegal immigrant from Mexico. DHS said Castro-Nava was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury (third degree) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Juan Emerson Gomez-Sorto, from El Salvador, was convicted of aggravated assault in Price, Utah, DHS said. The agency also named Jesser Sandoval-Cruz, a Honduran national, convicted of assault of a family/household member after a previous conviction in Harris County, Texas.
The DHS statement framed the cases as part of a broader approach it linked to President Donald Trump’s return to office in January 2025. The agency said the administration’s crackdown has driven illegal immigrants to leave the country.
DHS reported that more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the U.S. since January 2025, crediting the administration with creating “the most secure border in American history.“
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem connected the arrests to the administration’s agenda, praising the pace of what she described as early results.
“In less than a year, President Trump has delivered some of the most historic and consequential achievements in presidential history, and this administration is just getting started,” Noem said.
Noem added:
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making America safe again and putting the American people first. In record time, we have secured the border, taken the fight to cartels and arrested thousands upon thousands of criminal illegal aliens.”
DHS’s announcement used holiday language to brand the enforcement effort, repeatedly emphasizing safety during the season. The phrase “Christmas gift to Americans” appeared as DHS promoted what it presented as a security-focused mission for ICE.
The agency’s descriptions of the highlighted arrests leaned heavily on criminal records and convictions, pairing immigration status with specific offenses and locations. DHS identified burglary in Santa Ana, California, in one case and pointed to federal proceedings in New Jersey in another.
In Utah, DHS cited convictions for aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury (third degree) in Salt Lake City, and aggravated assault in Price. The department also cited a family-violence related conviction in Harris County, Texas.
DHS presented the South American Theft Group as a transnational organized crime enterprise in its description of Ramos-Guerrero. The department did not provide additional characterization in its announcement beyond that description and the burglary conviction it cited.
By spotlighting Castaneda-Reyes’ 10 criminal convictions, DHS emphasized both the number of offenses and their nature, including bank robbery by force and violent crimes involving drugs and a machine gun. DHS also underscored the venue, naming the U.S. District Court for New Jersey.
The department’s public statement did not describe the timing of each arrest, but it grouped them as recent examples while framing the overall effort as a holiday-season push. The “silent nights and safer streets” line served as the department’s thematic message.
Noem’s comments, included in the DHS announcement, extended beyond the specific arrests to the administration’s broader claims about border security and enforcement. Her statement linked ICE activity to what she described as record-time accomplishments.
DHS’s claim that more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the U.S. since January 2025 was presented as a measure of the crackdown’s impact. The agency paired that figure with its assertion of “the most secure border in American history.”
The department’s announcement drew a straight line from the arrests to public safety, positioning ICE’s work as a protective measure during the holiday period. DHS emphasized the idea of continuous enforcement, saying ICE is “working around the clock.”
The cases cited in the announcement spanned California, New Jersey, Utah and Texas, with DHS using place names and convictions to illustrate what it called its focus on illegal immigrants with criminal records. The department’s release did not include comments from the people named.
DHS’s framing made the holiday-season branding central to the announcement, treating the arrests as a message aimed at Americans as Christmas approaches. The department presented the enforcement action as part of what it described as a larger shift since President Donald Trump returned to office.
In tying the arrests to broader political claims, the DHS statement also reinforced a campaign-style message about border security and enforcement against criminal groups. Noem’s quote about taking “the fight to cartels” appeared alongside DHS’s descriptions of convictions in the highlighted cases.
The announcement did not detail how the “more than 2.5 million” figure was calculated, but DHS attributed it to the administration’s crackdown and placed it in the same statement promoting the arrests.
For DHS, the December 20, 2025, announcement fused holiday imagery with enforcement language, presenting ICE arrests as both a seasonal message and a marker of the administration’s direction.
“This holiday season, ICE is working around the clock to ensure silent nights and safer streets,” DHS said.
DHS has framed recent ICE arrests of non-citizens with criminal records as a seasonal safety initiative. Highlighting cases involving violent crimes and gang affiliations, officials emphasize a commitment to “safer streets.” Secretary Kristi Noem linked these actions to broader administration successes, claiming significant departures of illegal immigrants and record-level border security. The announcement utilizes holiday branding to emphasize the impact of current immigration policies.
