The Trump administration on Wednesday responded to the arrest of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employee caught in a sex trafficking sting, emphasizing that the worker was hired in 2022 under former President Joe Biden.
An ICE spokesperson said the employee, Alexander Back, was immediately placed on administrative leave and was never a law enforcement officer, adding that the agency is cooperating with local authorities and conducting its own internal investigation.
An ICE spokesperson told Newsweek via email, “Alexander Back was hired under the Biden administration in 2022 and worked as an I-9 auditor. Back was not and has never been a law enforcement officer. Following his arrest, ICE immediately placed Alexander Back on administrative leave. ICE is working with local authorities as well as conducting its own investigation via the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility.”
Back, 41, was among 16 men arrested in a Minnesota trafficking investigation that targeted individuals seemingly attempting to solicit a minor for sex, police said.
Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges said at a news conference on Tuesday that the three-day “Operation Creep” began on November 5 and focused on identifying people seeking to purchase sex from a 17-year-old girl.
“When he was arrested, he said, ‘I’m ICE, boys,'” Hodges said. “Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
