HOUSTON — Federal officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 95 criminal aliens and others throughout Southeast Texas during a five-day enforcement action which ended Friday.
The operation began April 17 and Houston ERO officers made arrests in the following Texas counties: Brazoria (7), Ft. Bend (2), Galveston (4), Harris (59), Liberty (3), Matagorda (4), Montgomery (13), and Wharton (3). Of those arrested, 87 were men; eight were women. The ERO Houston area of responsibility includes 54 counties in Southeast Texas.
All the foreign nationals targeted by ICE officers during this enforcement action had prior criminal convictions. The majority of those arrested — 82 of the 95 — had criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes:homicide, aggravated assault, assault, burglary of a vehicle, child abuse, domestic violence, cocaine possession, fraud, driving under the influence (DUI), drug trafficking, felony marijuana possession, illegal entry, larceny, possessing a controlled substance, and weapons possession. Individuals arrested during this operation are from the following countries: Cambodia (1), Cuba (1), El Salvador (8), Guatemala (3), Honduras (11), Mexico (66), Nicaragua (2), Nigeria (1) and Vietnam (2).
All of the targets in this operation were amenable to arrest and removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement operations daily nationwide as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls.
During the targeted enforcement operations, ICE officers frequently encounter other aliens illegally present in the United States. They are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and, when appropriate, they are arrested by ICE officers.
In fiscal year 2016, ICE conducted 240,255 removals nationwide. Ninety-two percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a crime.
