(Texas Scorecard) – Federal immigration officers arrested three individuals outside a southwest Houston courtroom this week as part of a broader national crackdown targeting illegal aliens whose asylum cases have just been dismissed.
On Monday, ICE agents in plain clothes arrested three illegal aliens outside a southwest Houston immigration court just moments after government attorneys dropped their pending asylum claims. The arrests mark the first time such an operation has been publicized outside an immigration court in the Houston area.
Fox News has confirmed this is part of a nationwide initiative aimed at arresting illegal aliens after their asylum cases are dropped in order to expedite deportations.
FIEL, the first to report the arrests, claims to be a non-profit dedicated to supporting immigrants, promoting education, and advancing the American dream. However, the group has been mired in controversy in recent years. Last July, Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit accusing FIEL of violating federal non-profit laws by engaging in electioneering. The suit alleges that FIEL breached its 501(c)3 tax-exempt status by campaigning against Texas legislation and portraying Donald Trump as the “son of the devil.”
Meanwhile, in the wake of rising public pressure, ICE has released information on 142 deportations that occurred last month, including the names of 10 individuals.
ICE officials explained that while the release reflects their ongoing effort to balance privacy with the public’s right to information, it was largely driven by citizen and journalist concerns over data transparency. “This is just a small snapshot of those efforts, as it only focuses on deportations to one country over the course of a two-week period,” said Bret Bradford, a field operator with ICE Houston’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division. “But it gives you an idea of how big this problem really is.”
Among the 10 named deportees, three had been convicted of driving while intoxicated, one of human trafficking, and one of sexual abuse of a child, among other charges. Notably, two of the individuals were deported solely for illegal entry.
While enforcement has thus far often focused on violent offenders, President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations will ultimately require removal of individuals whose only offense is entering the country illegally.