Filipina among ‘worst of the worst’ arrested by US immigration agents
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency nabbed over the New Year holidays a Filipino woman listed as among the 10 “Worst of the Worst” alien criminals, according to the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The DHS, in its official website, identified the arrested Filipino as Karen Empaynado, 33, who had been convicted of burglary, grand theft and battery in Deltona, Florida, excluding arrests made in the 19 years prior.
US authorities said Empaynado had already been arrested at least nine times before the New Year arrest and her criminal record dates back to 2011, when she was arrested at 19 years old for trespassing in Florida.
Empaynado was the only Filipino and the only female in the ICE’s report on the 10 Worst of the Worst. The others included three allegedly undocumented immigrants from Mexico, three more from Honduras and one each from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
She was arrested a day after an ailing 70-year-old Filipino grandmother and green card holder faced deportation after four decades in the United States.
Rebecca Pinyerd suffers from severe kidney disease, thyroid issues and uncontrolled blood pressure, according to her family and migrant rights advocates with Tanggol Migrante.
Medical neglect
John Emiliano of Tanggol Migrante Chicago told Inquirer.net USA that Pinyerd has been in detention for the past nine months and her health problems have worsened due to alleged medical neglect at detention facilities.
Pinyerd was scheduled for deportation to the Philippines on Jan. 2, but the advocates were “able to secure a victory in getting United Airlines to cancel her deportation flight,” pending a medical clearance for Pinyerd to fly, Emiliano said.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs previously said there were at least 69 Filipinos in immigration custody as of June 2025.
The DHS previously maintained that it had deported around 605,000 individuals, while 1.9 million allegedly undocumented immigrants had “self-deported” between January 2025 and December 2025.
The Trump administration has implemented sweeping new immigration measures effective Jan. 1, 2026, including a travel ban for nationals from 39 countries and increased immigration-related fees.
