U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 38 illegal immigrants and rescued three children working illegally at construction sites in the El Paso, Texas, area during a recent immigration enforcement operation.
ICE officers visited construction sites in El Paso, Texas, and Santa Teresa, New Mexico.
The nine-day operation netted 38 illegal immigrants, including fugitives and convicted criminals. Those detained include four individuals charged with felony illegal reentry and two ICE fugitives with final orders of removal.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations El Paso, in coordination with other agency partners, visited sites between Jan. 11-19, after gathering intelligence throughout December, ICE said.
“We will continue to aggressively pursue criminal investigations and enforce immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety,” said ICE El Paso acting Field Office Director Joel Garcia. “These ongoing, routine enforcement operations and arrests underscore ICE’s unwavering commitment to holding accountable those who violate U.S. immigration law and threaten the safety of our communities.”
Federal agents also encountered and rescued three children, ages 15, 16 and 17, working illegally at construction sites. ICE transferred them to Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement’s custody, the agency said in a news release.
Among those arrested, eight people had prior criminal histories, including convictions for assault causing bodily injury to a family member, driving while intoxicated and failure to identify as a fugitive from justice.
One individual had an active warrant for deceptive business practice. ICE turned the person over to local law enforcement, and lodged an immigration detainer against him.
ICE said fugitive David Ramirez-Rodriguez was ordered removed by an immigration judge on Oct. 27, 2014, but failed to depart. Luis Angel Morillo Carrasquero was ordered removed by an immigration judge April 11, 2024, but did not leave.
Other criminals taken off El Paso’s streets include:
- Fernando Camilo-Calixto, convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
- Nelson Armando Aguilar, convicted of driving while intoxicated.
- Octavio Urbina-Hernandez, convicted of failure to identify as a fugitive from justice.
Local outlet KFOX14/CBS4 shared video and photos of agents in a residential development with new homes under construction in far East El Paso and a home construction site in Horizon City.
El Paso Inc., the area’s business journal, spoke to several homebuilders who said the impact on the local workforce has been minimal, despite media reports and a press conference by local leaders against the raids in the community.
A January trade poll by the Associated General Contractors of America indicated that immigration raids are affecting many of the nation’s contracting firms.
Ray Adauto, executive vice president of the El Paso Association of Builders, told El Paso Inc. that he has emphasized to association members the importance of compliance with the law.
“We suggest to all business members that they do the same,” he said. “That pretty much tells you where we’re at. If it’s legal, it’s legal. And if it’s not legal, it’s not legal. We don’t interpret the law. We try to follow it.”
Adauto also indicated the raids aren’t new in the construction industry, but whether they bog down the current homebuilding economy remains to be seen.
“Is it something that has gone on before? Yeah, absolutely, it has,” he told the business journal. “Will it continue to go on? Probably, until immigration reform happens.”
Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Border Patrol, the DEA, the U.S. Marshals Service, the ATF, and the Texas Department of Public Safety also participated in the enforcement operation.
ICE is still encouraging illegal immigrants to self-deport and avoid enforcement encounters by using the CBP Home App. Eligible individuals can receive $2,600 and a free flight to their home country.
