This month, 646 illegal aliens, including 543 criminal aliens and seven documented gang members, were arrested during a week-long, multi-agency immigration raid in the Houston area.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the operation was carried out in the Houston region between February 23 and March 2 in cooperation with federal, state, and local law enforcement in order to strengthen border security, national security, and public safety.
543 illegal undocumented aliens who had been charged with or found guilty of crimes while in the United States illegally were taken into custody by ICE and its allies, who also carried out 71 criminal arrest orders.
Of the criminal aliens detained, 140 were charged with or found guilty of violent crimes such as domestic abuse, homicide, or severe assault, or aggravated felonies.
An additional 34 criminal aliens have been charged with or found guilty of sex offenses or child sex offenses, such as rape, possession of child pornography, or aggravated sexual assault of a minor.
According to ICE, 52 of the criminal aliens who were arrested were charged with or found guilty of crimes like drug trafficking or criminal possession of a controlled substance, and 38 of them were found guilty of illegal firearm offenses such as unlawful carrying of a firearm, alien in possession of a firearm, and aggravated assault with a firearm.
Ninety-three criminal aliens were charged with or found guilty of driving under the influence, and fifty-one were accused with or found guilty of property crimes.
Sheriff: Missing Atlanta Teacher’s Body Found in Georgia Lake After Month-Long Search
“In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to illegally enter the U.S.,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford stated. “After illegally entering the country, many of these criminal aliens have gone on to commit violent crime and reign terror on law-abiding residents.”
ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz also offered his thoughts on the enormous operation, stating that the combined efforts have increased the nation’s border security and national security while also making the Houston community much safer.
“In just one week working alongside our counterparts from federal, state and local law enforcement, ICE HSI special agents successfully executed 71 criminal arrest warrants and made 554 administrative arrests that included illegally present human smugglers, gang members, human traffickers, child sex offenders, drug traffickers and weapons traffickers,” Plantz stated. “As a result, we’ve sent a resounding message to transnational criminal organizations everywhere that the law enforcement community in the Texas Gulf Coast is more united than ever and will not rest until we’ve eradicated these criminal elements from the country.”
The operation was carried out by ICE, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
