Alexander Steven Back, 41, a civilian auditor with the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), was arrested last week in Minnesota after police say he attempted to solicit sex from someone he believed to be a 17-year-old.
Back was among 16 men detained during a wider undercover operation known as 'Operation Creep.' Authorities say he communicated with an undercover officer posing as a minor and was arrested after arriving at a hotel to meet the decoy. Police reported that, at the time of his arrest, Back declared, 'I’m ICE, boys.' The arresting officers also noted that he is recently married.
ICE confirmed Back has worked as a civilian I-9 auditor since 2022 and said he 'was not and has never been a law enforcement officer.' The agency placed him on administrative leave and said it is cooperating with local investigators while conducting an internal review through its Office of Professional Responsibility.
Court records and a criminal complaint show Back faces a prostitution-related felony charge for hiring or agreeing to hire a minor he believed to be under 18. According to the complaint, after responding to what he thought was a prostitution ad, he received a message saying the person was '17' and then arranged to meet at an address provided by the undercover officer.
Back was booked last Thursday and posted a $75,000 bond on Saturday before his release. He appeared in court on Monday and did not enter a plea; his next scheduled court date is December 17.
About Operation Creep
Police described 'Operation Creep' as an effort to dismantle a sophisticated sex-trafficking network that reaches across borders. Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges explained that buyers often contact websites or numbers handled overseas; those operators then coordinate with local handlers to arrange meetings with trafficked individuals, making the network complex and transnational.
The investigation is ongoing, and local prosecutors and ICE officials continue to review the case.
