A week-long immigration operation in the Houston area has led to the arrest of more than 600 people, the majority of whom were illegal aliens with criminal charges.
The operation, carried out from February 23 through March 2, involved a joint effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and several different federal, state, and local agencies. A total of 646 illegal aliens were arrested during the sweep, with 543 facing charges related to serious criminal offenses, including violent crimes and drug trafficking, according to ICE.
“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.,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office Director Bret Bradford.
“…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,” he added.
Of the 543 illegal aliens with criminal charges, 140 were charged or convicted of aggravated felonies, including homicide, aggravated assault, and domestic violence. Additionally, 34 people were charged with sex offenses or child sex offenses, and 52 faced charges related to drug trafficking or possession of controlled substances.
This operation also aimed to fight the growing presence of gang members in the area, with seven people allegedly identified as alleged members of “transnational criminal organizations.”
“We’ve sent a resounding message to transnational criminal organizations everywhere that the law enforcement community in the Texas Gulf Coast is more united than ever and will not rest until we’ve eradicated these criminal elements from the country,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Chad Plantz.
The agencies involved in the recent immigration crackdown included ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The recent operation in Houston seems to be part of a broader national initiative to address the increasing flow of criminal activity linked to illegal aliens.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express earlier this month, law enforcement arrested 118 illegal aliens in another sweep on illegal immigration in Colony Ridge, Texas, a neighborhood Gov. Greg Abbott has called an “illegal immigrant hotbed.”