WASHINGTON — A former reality television dancer from Latvia who allegedly overstayed his visa and accumulated a violent criminal history in California has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, federal officials announced.
ICE officers arrested Roberts Nemiro on July 28, 2026, in San Francisco after receiving a referral from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Nemiro previously appeared as a contestant on “Dejo ar zvaigzni!,” the Latvian version of the internationally popular television competition known in the United States as “Dancing With the Stars.”
Federal authorities say his career in America eventually moved far beyond the dance floor.
According to DHS, Nemiro’s criminal history includes convictions for aggravated assault against a non-family member with a firearm and disorderly conduct.
DHS also listed previous arrests involving allegations of battery, sexual battery, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. An arrest does not establish guilt, and the federal bulletin did not provide the outcomes of each listed arrest.
“This illegal alien from Latvia may have once had a career as a professional dancer on TV, but has turned into a career criminal with a rap sheet that includes aggravated assault with a gun, sexual battery, and drug possession,” DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said.
Bis said ICE arrested Nemiro despite California’s sanctuary policies and predicted that he would be removed from the United States.
“ICE is bringing the curtain down on his illegal stay and crime spree here in the U.S.,” Bis said.
Federal officials say Nemiro initially entered the United States legally on a visa in October 2011. His authorized stay expired in August 2012, but DHS alleges he remained in the country afterward without legal authorization.
Nemiro is now in federal immigration custody and facing removal proceedings.
The case comes as ICE continues targeting foreign nationals with criminal records or unresolved immigration violations throughout the country.
In a case with Northern Iowa ties, a man arrested by Charles City police on an alleged second-offense OWI was later transferred to another facility and listed on an ICE immigration hold.
ICE also recently arrested a Russian national who caused a fiery Minnesota collision that killed truck driver Tim Tarnowski. Federal authorities said the driver had served only 120 days before ICE took him into custody for removal proceedings.
DHS has repeatedly criticized sanctuary jurisdictions that restrict cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration officers. The department used Nemiro’s arrest to renew its criticism of California officials, accusing the state’s sanctuary policies of making it more difficult to remove criminal foreign nationals.
Nemiro’s immigration case remains pending. Removal proceedings are civil immigration matters and are separate from any criminal charges or convictions.
