ICE Houston has tracked down and arrested 174 criminal aliens, including 24 gang members, and deported them to Mexico in recent weeks.
As a group, they account for 610 criminal convictions for crimes that include homicide, rape and sexual assault, child sex offenses, drug trafficking, aggravated assault, theft, and human smuggling.
ICE Houston said Thursday that those arrested included two convicted on homicide-related charges, and Julian Estrada-Garcia, an alien from Mexico who had illegally entered the U.S. 39 times, FOX News reports.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston field office, the roundup and deportations occurred between March 17 and March 28.
Many of the criminal aliens sent back to Mexico have illegally entered the U.S. numerous times and been convicted of multiple criminal offenses, according to a news release.
“This is just a small snapshot of the amazing work that the brave men and women at ICE do every day to enhance public safety in Southeast Texas,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford.
Officials did not release the names of individuals, but their rap sheet is quite extensive. Some of the most serious offenses include:
- Two convictions for homicide-related offenses
- Four convictions for rape or sexual assault
- Five convictions for child sex offenses
- 72 convictions for aggravated assault or assault
- 49 convictions for theft-related offenses
- Five convictions for firearms offenses
- 83 convictions for drug trafficking or drug possession-related offenses
- 146 convictions for driving while intoxicated
- Eight convictions for hit-and-run
- 22 convictions for human smuggling-related offenses
According to ICE Houston, a few of the more brazen or repeat offenders include:
- A 36-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. 39 times and has been convicted of illegal entry four times and once for DWI, dangerous drugs, and fraud.
- A 48-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. 13 times and has 25 criminal convictions including seven for narcotics offenses, six for resisting arrest, two for identity theft, two for domestic violence, two for assault, and once for battery, larceny, kidnapping, illegal entry, illegal reentry, and destruction of evidence.
- A 50-year-old criminal alien from Mexico and documented Florencia 13 gang member who has been removed from the U.S. eight times and has been convicted of domestic violence, battery, possession of stolen property, drug possession, aggravated assault with a gun, and illegal entry.
- A 60-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. seven times and has been convicted of eight DWIs, and once for assault and illegal reentry.
- A 46-year-old criminal alien from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. seven times and has been convicted three times for DWI, four times for illegal entry, twice for illegal reentry, twice for obstruction, and once for immigration fraud, narcotics possession, and burglary.
Bradford said ICE agents put their lives on the line every day to apprehend and remove dangerous criminal aliens and transnational gang members who have illegally entered the U.S. and are preying on innocent, hardworking Texans.
“ICE will continue to aggressively pursue and remove anyone who threatens the safety of our communities and the national security of our country,” Bradford said in a statement.
This latest sting operation follows a previous weeklong multiagency operation in Texas that netted nearly 543 criminal migrants, seven of whom were gang members.
The clampdown is part of the Trump administration’s campaign promise to secure the border and boot criminal aliens out of the country. But with the millions of illegal immigrants who flooded the country in recent years, ICE agents have their work cut out for them.
Under the direction of Border Czar Tom Homan, ICE has deported more than 100,000 illegal migrants in the 10 weeks since Donald Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, according to a New York Post report that cited a Department of Homeland Security official.
