A Fijian national convicted of rape has been arrested by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a nationwide operation targeting convicted child sex traffickers, sexual predators and drug traffickers.
In a statement issued on July 17, ICE identified the man as Nalesh Prasad, describing him as an “illegal alien” from Fiji who was convicted of rape with force or violence in Sacramento, California.
His arrest was among several announced by ICE involving individuals convicted of serious offences, including human trafficking of a minor for commercial sex, attempted forcible sodomy, drug trafficking and people smuggling.
Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said ICE would continue targeting what she described as the “worst of the worst” despite a sharp rise in assaults against immigration officers.
“Just yesterday, ICE arrested child sex traffickers, violent sexual predators, drug traffickers, and other public safety threats who have no business remaining in our country.”
She added that anti-ICE rhetoric had contributed to a significant increase in assaults against officers but said the agency would continue its enforcement efforts.
“Despite these smears, ICE will continue to get criminals off our streets.”
According to ICE, the arrests form part of ongoing nationwide operations to identify and remove non-citizens convicted of serious criminal offences from communities across the United States.
ICE has also launched a public webpage highlighting arrests made under its “Worst of the Worst” initiative.
