ICE Houston arrests more than 1,500 criminals, gang members, fugitives

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(The Center Square) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 1,505 criminal foreign nationals in the Houston area during a roughly 10-day operation ending Oct.31. 

They include 17 documented gang members, 40 aggravated felons, one convicted murderer, 13 sexual predators, a Mexican Mafia gang member and fugitive wanted by Mexican authorities for murder and an MS13 gang member wanted by Salvadoran authorities for extortion.

Nearly one-third arrested already have final removal orders from a federal immigration judge. 

“Despite the conditions becoming increasingly dangerous for our officers as a result of the spread of violent political rhetoric and intentionally false information, they continue to put their lives at risk every day to apprehend dangerous illegal aliens, gang members, child predators and other violent criminal aliens who threaten public safety here in Southeast Texas,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said.

The total arrested in this operation is nearly double the more than 800 ICE Houston officers arrested in August and triple the number they arrested in March of 543, The Center Square reported. Earlier in the year they also arrested 174 criminal Mexican nationals in Houston who had a combined more than 600 criminal convictions. They were deported to Mexico, The Center Square reported. 

The criminal histories of those arrested in the October bust include 115 aggravated assault offenses, 142 DWIs, 55 drug offenses, 25 burglary/theft offenses, 31 weapons offenses, 255 who committed a felony by illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported, among others.  

Bradford said ICE officers have an “unwavering commitment to defend this community from foreign criminal invaders and other illegal aliens who undermine our rule of law.” Because of these arrests, criminal foreign nationals won’t be “beating up law-abiding Americans or driving intoxicated on our roadways” and child predators “are no longer free in the community preying on innocent children.  

“While it’s impossible to put a measure on the crimes that will never happen as a result of their efforts during this operation, I can tell you with certainty that they’ve saved lives and prevented countless Houstonians from having to suffer from the nightmares and PTSD that come with being a victim of violent crime.”

Mexican Mafia gang member Selvin Joel Lara Diaz, who was convicted of raping and impregnating his minor sister, was among those apprehended, iCE said. He was previously deported, illegally reentered the U.S. and is wanted in his home country of Honduras for murder, ICE said.  

He fled from authorities attempting to evade capture but was arrested in a grocery store, found hiding under stockroom shelves, ICE said.

Another violent offender arrested was suspected MS-13 gang member and Salvadoran national Marlon Odir Gomez Hernandez, ICE said. He also fled from authorities attempting to evade capture by running into a local washateria. Unable to hide, he opened up ceiling panels, climbed up inside and onto the roof. When attempting to get down, he became wedged behind the store sign and the side of the building and was caught. 

“ICE officers were eventually able to get him down safely and he was taken to the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, where he remains pending disposition of his immigration proceedings,” ICE said. 

“Once again, an illegal alien put the local community in danger by recklessly fleeing from ICE officers who were simply enforcing immigration laws that have been on the books for decades,” Bradford said. “Unfortunately, this has become a daily occurrence for our officers here in Houston thanks to the violent rhetoric being spewed by elected officials encouraging illegal aliens to resist enforcement of the same laws they established.”

The Salvadoran illegally entered the U.S. “on an unknown date,” meaning he was a “gotaway.” Gotaways are the official term used to describe those who illegally enter the U.S. to avoid detection and don’t file immigration claims. More than two million gotaways were reported during the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported.

He also illegally entered the U.S. after fleeing from Salvadoran authorities after he and six other suspected MS-13 gang members were arrested in El Salvador for aggravated extortion nearly four years ago, ICE said. 

Other violent offenders arrested include a four-time previously deported criminal Mexican national and Paisas gang member whose convictions include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest with a vehicle; a previously deported Honduran national whose convictions include lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and cruelty towards a child; and a Laos national whose convictions include sexual exploitation of a minor among others.

Numerous law enforcement agencies were involved in the operation, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, ATF, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Diplomatic Security Service, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Texas Department of Public Safety.