ICE arrests Azerbaijani national with multiple criminal convictions, including animal cruelty, arson

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Friday agents arrested an illegal immigrant from Azerbaijan, who has multiple convictions for crimes, including cruelty to animals.

Rafael Vladimirovi Sarkisyan of Azerbaijan was arrested by ICE Los Angeles Nov. 25 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings, according to officials.

Sarkisyan was previously convicted of cruelty to animals, causing a structure fire and manufacturing a controlled substance, ICE wrote in a statement.

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It is unclear when he arrived in the country or where he entered.

The U.S. Department of State issued a travel advisory May 21 advising U.S. travelers to exercise increased caution in Azerbaijan "due to terrorism."

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"Terrorist groups continue to plan attacks and are a risk in Azerbaijan," according to the advisory. "Terrorists may attack with little or no warning. They may target: Tourist locations; transportation centers (airports); markets and shopping malls; local government buildings; hotels, clubs and restaurants; places of worship; parks; major sporting and cultural events; educational institutions; and other public areas."

There are also concerns in the former Soviet-era Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast and surrounding territories due to landmines after armed hostilities in 2023.

President Donald Trump was praised in August for a U.S.-brokered peace accord that ended three decades of war and hostility in the South Caucasus.