U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested dozens of people across North Texas on Sunday as enforcement operations continue under the new Trump administration.
ICE’s Dallas Field Office said 84 people were apprehended in cities across the metroplex, including Dallas, Arlington, Fort Worth, Irving, Garland, and Collin County. A spokesperson for ICE cited drug charges and overstaying as the reason for the arrests. All those apprehended will be processed at the Dallas ICE Field Office before potential deportation.
ICE has reportedly been conducting similar operations in other parts of the state, including San Antonio, Austin, McAllen, and the Houston area.
News of the North Texas arrests comes amid a recent standoff between the United States and Colombia. Over the weekend, Colombia restricted two U.S. planes with Colombian illegal aliens from landing in the country. Despite a momentary escalation of the incident between President Trump and President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, the latter ultimately acquiesced and agreed to Trump’s terms around deportations.
ICE said it made 956 arrests nationwide during the raids on January 26.
Last year, The Dallas Express reported about the plan in Texas to directly transport illegal aliens to ICE facilities for quicker processing and potential deportation. Under the proposal, which is still awaiting approval from Gov. Greg Abbott, illegal aliens would be transported from border cities straight to ICE detention centers by charter bus service.
In the past, tens of thousands of illegal aliens have been bused to Democratic-led cities, including Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York.