BUFFALO, N.Y. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Jacobo Argueta Fuentes, a 33-year-old Salvadoran national, on July 23 in Ossining, New York, following his release from state prison. Argueta, who was in the country illegally, had been convicted of multiple felony sex crimes involving minors and is now in ICE custody pending deportation.
ICE said Argueta was convicted of a total of 18 charges, including:
- Seven counts of rape
- Two counts of using a child in a sexual performance
- Four counts of sexual abuse
- Two counts of promoting prostitution
- One count of criminal sex act
- Two counts of endangering the welfare of a child
“This criminal alien is a vile human who depravedly victimized and sexually exploited innocent children in the state of New York,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Buffalo Deputy Field Office Director Joseph Freden.
Argueta entered the U.S. unlawfully, crossing the southern border around 2011, according to a statement he made during a 2019 encounter with immigration officers at Riverhead Correctional Facility in Suffolk County. He was convicted in January 2020 and sentenced to six years in prison.
ICE had lodged an immigration detainer against him in May 2023. A judge issued a final order of removal on December 17, 2024.
