The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on May 11 that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested multiple noncitizens during a national enforcement operation over the Mother’s Day weekend.
In a statement, DHS confirmed that among those arrested was Leonel Hernandez Medina, a Mexican national convicted in Reading, Pennsylvania, of simple assault and drug possession.
DHS said the May 10–11 enforcement actions included arrests of individuals with criminal convictions across multiple states. The department said approximately 70% of ICE arrests involve individuals who have been charged with or convicted of crimes in the United States, and noted that operations frequently target individuals released into communities despite immigration detainers.
ICE’s Philadelphia Field Office oversees enforcement operations in Pennsylvania, including Berks County, where Reading is located. The office coordinates immigration enforcement and detention activities across the region.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was established in 2003 under the Department of Homeland Security to enforce immigration laws within the United States. Its Enforcement and Removal Operations division is responsible for identifying, arresting, detaining, and removing individuals who violate immigration laws or have criminal convictions, and it maintains field offices nationwide to carry out enforcement operations.
