Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended more than 500 criminal illegal aliens in a series of raids conducted in Houston. The week-long operation targeted illegal immigrants accused of drug trafficking, murder, and rape.
According to an ICE release, the operation, carried out in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, resulted in the arrest of 646 illegal immigrants. Of those, 543 were classified as criminal aliens, and seven were identified as documented gang members.
“In just one week working alongside our counterparts from federal, state and local law enforcement, ICE HSI special agents successfully executed 71 criminal arrest warrants and made 554 administrative arrests that included illegally present human smugglers, gang members, human traffickers, child sex offenders, drug traffickers and weapons traffickers,” explained ICE Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “These collective efforts have made our local communities significantly safer and strengthened our national security and border security. As a result, we’ve sent a resounding message to transnational criminal organizations everywhere that the law enforcement community in the Texas Gulf Coast is more united than ever and will not rest until we’ve eradicated these criminal elements from the country.”
The operation took place from February 23 to March 2 in the Houston area. ICE executed 71 criminal arrest warrants and detained 543 illegal aliens charged or convicted of various offenses. This included 140 individuals charged or convicted of aggravated felonies or other violent crimes, 34 charged or convicted of sex offenses, and 52 charged or convicted of drug-related crimes.
“In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to illegally enter the U.S.,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “After illegally entering the country, many of these criminal aliens have gone on to commit violent crime and reign terror on law-abiding residents.”
The arrests come as the Trump administration continues its push for mass deportations of illegal immigrants, particularly those with criminal records.
