ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Houston, Texas, arrested 414 criminal illegal aliens charged with or convicted of child sex offenses during President Donald Trump’s first year back in office, the agency announced March 9, 2026. The arrests, which occurred from roughly Jan. 2025 to early 2026, nearly doubled the 211 such arrests in the final year of the Biden administration, according to ICE.
The individuals accounted for 761 child sex offenses and 525 other crimes ranging from homicide to robbery. Offenses included aggravated sexual assault of a minor, sexual indecency with a child, sexual exploitation of a minor, possession of child sexual abuse material, and failure to register as a sex offender.
“While elected officials and media pundits across the country were zealously trying to manipulate the American public with fake news stories about ICE’s public safety mission, the brave men and women of ICE were quietly going about their business to arrest and remove more than 400 dangerous child predators from our local communities,” ICE ERO Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez said. “Thanks to their tireless efforts, parents across Southeast Texas can sleep a little better tonight knowing that these pedophiles and child rapists are no longer a threat to their children.”
The Enforcement Removal Operations follow multiple, multi-agency child trafficking operations across the state of Texas that resulted in the rescue of hundreds of children. Federal partners including the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Diplomatic Security Service and U.S. Marshals Service assisted, along with state and local agencies.
ICE highlighted several cases, including previously deported individuals who reentered the country illegally.
Andrew Mark Watson, a 38-year-old criminal illegal alien from the United Kingdom was arrested by ICE on Dec. 5, 2025. Watson – who has now been convicted on two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material and sexually exploiting a minor – remains in ICE custody at the IAH Secure Adult Detention Facility, pending disposition of his immigration proceedings.
Alex Samuel Lara Diaz, a 35-year-old, previously deported criminal illegal alien from Honduras, was arrested by ICE and convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor. He fled to the United States, crossing the border illegally to evade Honduran authorities as a wanted man for homicide. ICE officers deported Lara Diaz back to Honduras, where he was immediately turned over to authorities and now faces homicide charges.
Gabriel Julio Lopez-Velazquez, a 25-year-old criminal illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested by ICE April 8, 2025. Illegally reentering the United States on four separate occasions, Lopez-Velazquez was finally caught and brought to justice. He was convicted for the aggravated sexual assault of a minor, aggravated assault, and two counts of felony illegal reentry. ICE officers have now deported Lopez-Velazquez back to Mexico.
CONVICTIONS THAT MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL 🚨
This Mexican national has convictions for reprehensible crimes against children and is illegally present in the U.S. In 2017 he was convicted for lewd lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, and again in 2023 for the same… pic.twitter.com/Ai6hYJWqXf— Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) March 10, 2026
Nationwide, ICE has aggressively targeted child sex trafficking rings, focusing attention on pedophiles, traffickers, and child rapists. Since Trump’s return, ICE has announced the arrest of more than 16,552 criminal aliens wanted for sexual assaults. Some convictions are so heinous that even veteran law enforcement officers say the details will “make your skin crawl.”
Recent announcements, such as the arrest of 24-year-old Honduran national, Jose Martel Arriaga, emphasize the agency’s mission and core commitments.
40 Counts: First Degree Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
9 Counts: Indecent Liberties with a Minor
4 Counts: Solicitation of a Child by Computer
3 Counts: Solicitation of a Child for Prostitution
3 Counts: ExtortionWords cannot describe this evil who has no right to be in our… pic.twitter.com/znk7CUgLoy
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) March 10, 2026
Arrested in Gaston County, North Carolina, Arriaga faces 59 felony counts including 40 counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor stemming from alleged child abuse materials uploaded to Snapchat.
“Words cannot describe this evil who has no right to be in our country. ICE has issued a detainer for this Honduran criminal alien,” a spokesperson for the agency said on X.
Focused on arrests involving child predators, murderers and other violent offenders, the agency is now encouraging citizens to learn the signs of human trafficking, and call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP to report signs of abuse.
