U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced on April 7 that it has lodged a detainer requesting Kentucky authorities not release a criminal illegal alien who was convicted of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in his church office.
The agency said the individual, identified as Jose Lopez-Hernandez, was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse after luring the victim to his church office in Covington, locking the door, and assaulting her. The Department of Homeland Security reported that the victim sustained a bruise on her neck consistent with aggressive kissing. Lopez-Hernandez had prior arrests for theft, forgery, and reckless and careless driving, and had previously been released into the community despite those charges, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s April 7, 2026 news release.
ICE arrests in Kentucky have increased substantially in recent periods. Nearly 2,000 people were arrested by the agency between January and October of last year, representing a 32 percent increase compared to the same timeframe the year before. The majority of these arrests took place inside local jails or prisons, with around 25 percent occurring at workplaces, residences, or in public spaces as local law enforcement agencies expanded cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, according to analysis by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to focus enforcement efforts on criminal illegal aliens as reported in agency updates. Nearly 70 percent of ICE arrests involve individuals charged or convicted of a crime in the United States. The agency conducts daily operations across the country targeting murderers, rapists, pedophiles, and other serious offenders to remove them from American communities and prevent further victimization, according to agency updates.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was established in March 2003 under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 as a component of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency combined criminal and civil authorities from predecessor organizations to enforce federal immigration laws, customs, trade, and border control regulations. ICE promotes homeland security and public safety through interior enforcement operations that identify, detain, and remove individuals who violate immigration laws, according to ICE.