U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday the arrest of 646 illegal aliens during a week-long operation in Houston, 543 of whom had prior criminal convictions or charges, including violent crimes and gang affiliations.
The large-scale enforcement effort, conducted from February 23 to March 2, was carried out in collaboration with multiple state and federal agencies. Among those arrested, authorities identified seven as documented gang members.
Criminal Charges and Convictions
The arrested individuals had a wide range of criminal backgrounds, with 140 facing aggravated felonies or other violent offenses, such as homicide, aggravated assault, and domestic violence. Additionally:
34 individuals were arrested for sex-related offenses, including aggravated sexual assault of a minor, possession of child pornography, and rape.
52 individuals were detained for drug trafficking or possession of controlled substances.
38 individuals had been convicted of crimes related to firearms offenses, including unlawful carrying.
51 individuals were charged with burglary or theft.
93 individuals had prior convictions for driving while intoxicated (DWI).
Law Enforcement Collaboration
The operation was conducted with the assistance of multiple agencies, including:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
The Diplomatic Secret Service
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Several state and local law enforcement agencies
According to Bret Bradford, Field Office Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Houston, many of these criminal aliens had exploited weaknesses at the U.S. southern border to enter the country unlawfully.
“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.,” 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.”
Border Enforcement and Prosecutions
Just three days before ICE released its arrest figures, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) reported nearly 200 cases filed in the past week related to border enforcement. Almost half of those cases involved illegal re-entry into the United States.
Bradford reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws and removing dangerous criminals from communities.
“Fueled by our unwavering commitment to protect the public from harm, and united in our determination to restore integrity to our nation’s system of laws, ICE and our law enforcement partners in Southeast Texas have banded together to remove these dangerous criminal aliens from our local communities and put an end to the lawlessness that they spread,” Bradford said.
