Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston office arrested a Cuban national with a lengthy record of serious criminal offenses during a targeted operation last week.
According to ERO Houston, agents took Osvaldo Rabiero-Alvarez, 72, into custody on August 6. Rabiero-Alvarez is a criminal alien from Cuba who has been convicted in the United States of multiple felonies, including forgery, trafficking cocaine, trafficking heroin, robbery, and aggravated assault.
ICE confirmed in a public statement that Rabiero-Alvarez remains in federal custody pending removal from the United States. Officials did not provide additional details on the location or his prior convictions, but public records indicate that several offenses occurred in Jefferson County, Texas.
ICE @EROHouston arrested Osvaldo Rabiero-Alvarez, a 72-year-old criminal alien from Cuba, Aug. 6, who has been convicted of forgery, trafficking cocaine, trafficking heroin, robbery, and aggravated assault in the U.S. He remains in ICE custody pending his removal from the U.S. pic.twitter.com/VdFPaXv8QI
— ICE Houston (@EROHouston) August 7, 2025
Authorities described the arrest as part of a broader enforcement initiative aimed at apprehending “the worst of the worst” — criminal aliens whose crimes have posed a direct threat to public safety. ICE leadership has repeatedly emphasized that such operations are designed to ensure that individuals with violent, drug-related, and fraud-linked histories are removed from American communities.
While some enforcement actions focus on immigration status alone, the arrest of Rabiero-Alvarez underscores ICE’s stated priority to identify and detain individuals who have committed serious or violent crimes while in the country unlawfully.
ERO Houston has conducted a series of recent operations resulting in the arrests of criminal aliens with convictions for offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, drug trafficking, and aggravated assault. Officials say these targeted enforcement efforts are necessary to maintain public safety and uphold federal immigration laws.
Rabiero-Alvarez will remain in federal detention while his removal proceedings are completed. If deported, he would be prohibited from legally re-entering the United States.
