Immigration officers put a damper on summertime fun around Lake Lewisville in Texas and made more than 100 arrests over the summer, federal authorities said.
Federal agents nabbed two Tren de Aragua gang members who were under investigation for operating an illegal watercraft business on Lake Lewisville, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.
The Texas lake community is in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and popular for recreational boating and watersports.
The multiagency initiative began June 27 and ended on Labor Day weekend, targeting peak boating season at Lewisville Lake. ICE Dallas led the operation with support from local, state and federal agencies and made 121 arrests in total, according to an agency news release.
Along with locating illegal immigrants, ICE and law enforcement partners targeted public safety threats and people being reckless on the water.
“This operation allowed our agency to use limited resources more effectively,” ICE Dallas Field Office Director Miguel Vergara said. “The results speak for themselves: 121 arrests, public safety threats off the streets, and stronger coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.”
Among those arrested were individuals with criminal histories that included assault, family violence, assault causing bodily injury, theft, burglary, sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact.
According to ICE, the group also had charges or citations for evading arrest or detention with a vehicle, driving while intoxicated, boating while intoxicated, criminal mischief, criminal negligence and various traffic-related offenses.
“ICE is committed to upholding the law, enforcing our nation’s immigration laws, and removing individuals who pose a threat to our communities,” Vergara said. “These arrests reflect our continued focus on public safety and the rule of law.”
NEW: @ICEgov says its Dallas field office arrested 121 illegal immigrants during a summer-long enforcement operation around Lake Lewisville in North Texas — including two self-admitted members of Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. has designated a foreign terrorist organization.
The… pic.twitter.com/2Go9YYP5dM
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) September 25, 2026
The agencies also focused on boating safety and enforcement and lake-related investigations. As a result, local police spent more time on the water to monitor boating activity and protect the public.
ICE Dallas assisted with identification and investigative support, leading to the arrest of Willian Josue Ordonez Vasquez, 24, from Venezuela, and Edwin Josue Cabrera-Zelaya, 22, from Honduras.
ICE said they are both self-admitted Tren de Aragua gang members. They were under investigation by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for allegedly operating an illegal watercraft rental business on Lake Lewisville.
Illegal livery operations include the unregulated renting out of boats or vehicles, or transporting of passengers. They pose public safety concern because they often bypass safety, proper inspections, insurance and operator requirements, ICE officials said.
A similar illegal jet ski rental business was connected to the death of an Air Force cadet over the 2025 Memorial Day weekend on Grapevine Lake, which is also in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.
“The summer water safety initiative highlights the value of interagency cooperation during high-traffic recreational periods, when law enforcement agencies must balance public safety demands on the water with criminal and immigration enforcement priorities on land,” according to the ICE news release.
Others arrested include Jose Almendares Suazo, 30, from Honduras, who had been previously removed from the United States. Almendares Suazo has a prior conviction for assault causing bodily injury, as well as a prior arrest for assault involving family violence.
When officers encountered Diego Gomez Hernandez, 22, from Mexico, he had a 13-year-old girl in his vehicle. Authorities contacted her legal guardian and took her into custody.
The Lewisville Police Department also responded to conduct an investigation into what Hernandez was doing with the teenager and possible violations of Texas law, ICE officials said.
Luis Alfrando Digueros Quintanilla, 23, a Guatemalan citizen, was previously removed by ICE and has a prior arrest for felony sexual assault of a child out of Dallas County.
Axon Solomon Mejia Ortega, 35, also from Mexico, was found to be unlawfully present in the United States. Mejia Ortega has a prior arrest for felony indecency with a child by sexual contact out of Dallas County.
