As the White House continues its stepped-up immigration enforcement, federal agents early Tuesday morning detained a convicted sex offender living in a San Diego home day care.
Ezequiel Cruz Rodriguez, a 47-year-old Mexican national, is now facing deportation after being expelled twice before.
Around sunup, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived at Little Hands Academy Family Child Care. It’s also the home of Rodriguez, partner of day care owner Dulce Villagomez.
Someone came to lock the closed front door when NBC 7 arrived but did not respond to us.
Neighbors say they woke up to the sound of federal agents in tactical gear.
“She thought that ICE came for him because he didn’t have papers. She says she feels bad. She feels bad for the family,” neighbor Jesus said.
Johnny James says they came and left with Rodriguez in about 10 minutes.
“This morning, I came out. I seen like a SWAT team,” James said.
According to federal court records obtained by NBC 7, Rodriguez was first deported in August of 1996. At the time, he was a registered sex offender with the state of California and a member of the San Diego gang “Logan Clika.”
Court records indicate three months before being deported, he was convicted of a lewd lascivious act with a child under 14 years of age. He was sentenced to six months in jail and three years’ probation.
On the social media platform X, the ICE San Diego field director articulated a laundry list of criminal offenses.
“This individual is an unregistered convicted child sex offender. With prior convictions of possession of a firearm, DUI, domestic violence, battery, assault, brandishing a firearm, illegal reentry, robbery and illegal reentry after removal,” Director Patrick Divver said.
Court records show after being deported in 1996, he was discovered in San Diego a year later. Rodriquez was last removed in December of 2012.
Despite a criminal past, removal orders and returns, you might say Rodriguez was living in plain sight but perhaps in the last place you would expect.
Day care records filed with the state indicate the operator has been licensed since 2016. There are no disciplinary actions taken against the child care operation or complaints. There are up to 14 children permitted in the program. How many might have been there Tuesday morning is not known.