U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a series of recent arrests across Texas as part of a broader nationwide effort to remove violent offenders, sexual predators, and repeat criminal aliens from American communities.
In Houston, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers arrested Humberto Saul Rodriguez-Mendoza, 53, a Mexican national convicted of animal cruelty in Parmer County. He was sentenced to two years in prison for killing or poisoning an animal and causing serious bodily injury.
ICE also reported the arrest of Armando Vasquez-Gonzalez, 42, a Mexican national convicted of indecency with a child by sexual contact in Hays County, for which he served six years in prison.
On Sept. 22, Houston officers arrested Javier Perez-Garcia, 48, also a Mexican national, convicted of indecency with a child in Hopkins County and sentenced to eight years.
Houston officers also arrested Moises Lopez-Zepeda, 44, a Mexican national convicted of intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle in Rockwall County, where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. ICE said the case reflects its ongoing focus on offenders whose actions have claimed innocent lives.
In Dallas, ICE arrested Phothong Thiangboun, 42, a Laotian national pictured above with a history of multiple arrests in Amarillo, including for assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence, DWI, drug possession, burglary, and resisting arrest. Officials said his repeated encounters with law enforcement underscore the risks posed by criminal aliens who remain in the country illegally.
In San Antonio, officers arrested Lorenzo Menendez-Gonzalez, 68, a Cuban national convicted of homicide in Austin. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the killing.
ICE officials said the arrests highlight the agency’s enforcement priorities under the Trump administration, which continue to focus on the “worst of the worst” offenders — gang members, violent criminals, and individuals convicted of serious crimes such as homicide, sexual assault, and child exploitation.
Federal officials emphasized that these recent arrests in Texas are part of broader enforcement operations nationwide, where ICE works alongside local and federal partners to ensure that individuals convicted of serious crimes are removed from the United States rather than released back into communities.
According to ICE, Enforcement and Removal Operations has intensified efforts to locate and apprehend fugitives with violent criminal records, sexual offenses against children, and deadly DUI convictions. Officials said these arrests are a reminder of the agency’s central mission: to protect the public by removing dangerous criminal aliens.
