LOS ANGELES — A Filipina national, Karen Empaynado, was among the first undocumented immigrants arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2026, as part of the agency’s New Year enforcement operations.
According to an official ICE news release, Empaynado was one of 10 undocumented immigrants taken into custody during the operation. ICE identified her as a “criminal illegal alien from the Philippines,” citing prior convictions for burglary, grand theft, and battery in Deltona, Florida.
ICE stated that it began the new year with “continued progress in removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from American communities,” emphasizing its focus on individuals with serious criminal records.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commended ICE’s actions, saying the agency rang in the New Year with the removal of “some of the most dangerous offenders, including pedophiles, murderers, and fraudsters, from American neighborhoods.”
Authorities confirmed that the other individuals arrested during the operation were undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.
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