HOUSTON, Texas — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out a targeted enforcement operation last week that landed more than 400 illegal aliens in jail. During the same period, the Houston Field Office deported more than five hundred aliens who exhausted their due process and had been ordered removed from the United States.
“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 enter the U.S. illegally,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said in a written statement. “After illegally entering the country, these violent criminal aliens have infiltrated our local communities and reigned terror on law-abiding residents, leaving countless innocent victims in their wake.”
From May 4 through May 10, Houston ERO officers and other federal and state of Texas law enforcement agencies rounded up 411 illegal aliens. Officials said these included 2296 criminal aliens — many with convictions for violent offenses. Those arrested included:
- A 46-year-old criminal alien from Colombia, arrested May 7, has been convicted in Colombia of homicide and providing false information to law enforcement.
- A 40-year-old three-time deported criminal alien from Mexico arrested May 8, who has been convicted three times for possession of a controlled substance, twice for illegal discharge of a firearm, and once for arson, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, illegal entry, criminal mischief, and driving while intoxicated.
- A 32-year-old five-time deported criminal alien from Mexico arrested May 7, who has been convicted twice for burglary, larceny, and illegal reentry, and once for aggravated assault.
- A 45-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, arrested May 5, who has been convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor.
- A 72-year-old criminal alien from Mexico arrested May 6, who has been convicted of homicide, robbery, shoplifting, assault, and carrying a prohibited weapon.
“Illegal activities breed further crime, and our collaborative efforts through these enforcement operations have allowed us to do what the DEA does best, remove drugs off the streets that are devastating lives and dismantle drug networks, safeguarding our communities,” said DEA Houston Division Acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell. “These operations have allowed us to share our resources with our federal partners and expand our scope of DEA drug trafficking investigations to achieve the common goal of making communities safer.”
ERO carried out expedited removal operations that led to the deportation of 528 illegal aliens.
“To expedite the removal of these aliens during the operation, ICE Houston leveraged an initiative established under the current administration to funnel aliens to designated hubs on the southern border where they are quickly processed and removed to their country of origin within 24-72 hours of their arrest,” ERO officials stated.
FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Douglas Williams added, “Our intel support is as strong as our tactical support. By working together and sharing what we know with our partners, we have been able to prioritize the worst of the worst criminals, and that’s what we will continue to do.”
CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) participated in the roundup and removal process by providing transportation support. “Our team is ensuring these operations are carried out safely, efficiently, and in full coordination with our federal partners,” AMO Houston Air Branch Acting Director Jeremy D. Battenfield concluded.
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.
