ICE arrests 45 in Houston area during 5-day operation targeting criminal aliens, immigration fugitives

HOUSTON — Federal Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 45 illegal aliens in the Houston area for violating U.S. immigration laws during a five-day enforcement action, which ended Friday.

The local enforcement operation targeted at-large criminal aliens, many of whom had absconded from prior immigration proceedings.

Of the individuals arrested during the operation, 15 had previously been removed (deported) and 42 had prior criminal convictions. Several had felony convictions for serious or violent criminal offenses, such as rape, child exploitation, robbery, drug trafficking and assault.

“Our primary focus with conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations is to improve public safety by removing criminal aliens from our local communities,” said ERO Houston Field Office Director Pat Contreras. “The dedicated immigration enforcement officers who conducted the operation did just that by taking 42 dangerous criminal aliens off the streets.”

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