ICE Arrests Mexican National Deported Five Times After Sex Sting in South Dakota

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested Frederico Pascual-Jimenez, a 34-year-old Mexican national, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, following an undercover sting operation. Authorities say Pascual-Jimenez had previously been deported from the United States five times and is now facing felony charges after allegedly attempting to meet someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl for sexual purposes.

The case has drawn renewed attention to the issue of repeat border crossings by individuals previously removed from the country, as well as the ongoing challenges faced by law enforcement agencies in preventing recidivism among those who reenter the U.S. illegally.

According to a news release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided to The Daily Signal, Pascual-Jimenez was taken into custody in May. The arrest came after an undercover ICE officer, posing online as a 14-year-old girl, exchanged sexually explicit text messages with Pascual-Jimenez as part of an operation targeting online predators.

Details of the Undercover Operation

Authorities report that Pascual-Jimenez initiated contact and began sending explicit messages after being informed that the individual he was communicating with was underage. Among the statements attributed to him was, "I think age doesn’t matter." He allegedly described his intentions to engage in sexual activity with a minor and instructed the undercover agent not to mention her age in their communications.

The operation culminated on May 27, when Pascual-Jimenez arranged to meet the supposed minor at a public swimming pool parking lot in Sioux Falls. Homeland Security Investigations officers arrested him at the scene without incident. Following his arrest, he was charged with felony enticement of a minor for indecent purposes and illegal re-entry into the United States. DHS also noted that Pascual-Jimenez has a prior conviction for driving under the influence.

History of Repeated Border Crossings

DHS records indicate that Pascual-Jimenez first entered the United States illegally through Arizona in 2001. At that time, he was granted voluntary return to Mexico. However, he subsequently reentered the country multiple times, crossing through Texas and California. He was deported on several occasions, and his second illegal entry in May 2012 was classified as a felony offense under U.S. law. DHS officials stated that Pascual-Jimenez entered the U.S. a sixth time at an unknown date and location, underscoring the difficulties authorities face in tracking and preventing repeated illegal entries.

Lauren Bis, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, commented on the case in a statement, saying, "ICE has lodged a detainer asking officials in South Dakota to commit to not releasing this pedophile from jail and cooperate with ICE, so that we can remove him from our country and make sure he’ll never prey on another innocent child in our country again."

Broader Debate Over Recidivism

The arrest of Pascual-Jimenez has reignited debate over recidivism at the U.S. border. Lora Ries, director of The Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told The Daily Signal that repeat illegal entry has been a persistent and longstanding issue for U.S. authorities. "Recidivism has been a decades-old problem at the border. In fact, smugglers offer illegal aliens multiple attempts to get across the border in their smuggling fee," Ries said.

Ries argued that addressing the problem of recidivism requires a combination of thorough border security, criminal prosecutions, swift deportations, and limiting incentives for reentry. She emphasized that without these measures, individuals who have been deported may continue to attempt to reenter the country, sometimes multiple times.

The Department of Homeland Security has formally requested that South Dakota officials cooperate with ICE and refrain from releasing Pascual-Jimenez from jail. The agency is seeking to ensure that he is removed from the United States and does not have the opportunity to reoffend. Supporters of more permissive immigration policies were not quoted in the DHS statement or the Daily Signal report.

As the legal process continues, Pascual-Jimenez remains in custody. The case is expected to proceed through the courts, with ICE and DHS maintaining their focus on removing individuals with repeated illegal entries and criminal charges from the country.