A convicted child predator from Guatemala was arrested in New Orleans by ICE — but it wasn’t his rap sheet that first stunned the public. It was the viral booking photo, showing the pint-sized offender grinning beside an officer who towered nearly twice his height.
“ICE New Orleans arrested Cristian Soto-Galeano, a citizen of Guatemala,” ICE New Orleans captioned the image shared on X. “His criminal history includes a conviction for indecent behavior with a juvenile and was sentenced to 2 years in prison.”
“We stand ready to face any challenge, big or small,” the New Orleans ICE field office remarked.
It’s unclear if Soto-Galeano was in the US illegally, but he is expected to be kicked out of the country after his prison sentence.
Social media commenters had a field day with the outlandish arrest.
“This dude’s below the law,” one wrote.
“No need for a plane seat, just deport him back in a suitcase,” another teased.
The average height of men in Guatemala is just 5 feet 4 inches, according to Business Insider — though the small-fry convict appears to be much shorter in stature.
Last month, a similar arrest photo out of San Diego featuring an illegal migrant wearing a “South Park” t-shirt captured besides a curvy female ICE agent caused a stir online as many wondered if the woman was purposefully positioned with her backside to the camera.
The Mexican migrant, 42-year-old Diego Hernandez, was booked for previous drunk driving convictions and repeated illegal entries into the US. He was expected to be deported back to Mexico, according to ICE San Diego.
Hernandez’s gaze was tilted towards the ground as he looked ahead sullenly. The top of his shoe had been ripped off and his shirt, featuring “South Park” menace Eric Cartman, ironically read “What-ever! I do what I want.”