ERO San Antonio arrests 13 noncitizens with criminal convictions during nationwide operation

SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) San Antonio announced the arrest of 13 noncitizens during a national operation that ran from Aug. 4 to Aug. 25. Officers focused enforcement efforts against priority removable fugitive noncitizens – specifically, those identified as having criminal convictions for crimes including, burglary, domestic violence, driving under the influence, drug distribution or trafficking, sexual abuse or exploitation, or unlawful possession or use of a firearm – as well as noncitizens with an executable final order of removal who have re-entered the United States illegally after having been previously removed.

Officers prioritized enforcement actions in accordance with the Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law issued by Secretary Mayorkas on Sept. 30, 2021, and reinstituted on June 28. Among those arrested:

• A 49-year-old citizen of Mexico convicted by the 275th Judicial District Court in Hidalgo County of felony indecency with a child by exposure.
• A 50-year-old citizen of El Salvador convicted by the Harris County Court in Houston of assault causing bodily injury.
• A 46-year-old citizen of Mexico convicted by the Bell County District Court in Waco of theft greater than $20,000, less than $100,000.
• A 29-year-old citizen of Honduras convicted by the U.S. Western District of Texas in Del Rio bringing in and harboring noncitizens.

ERO officers evaluate individuals on a case-by-case basis, assessing the totality of the facts and circumstances to make informed arrest determinations. Those cases amenable to federal criminal prosecution can be presented to the U.S. Attorney's Office. ERO also coordinates with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to evaluate the completion of relevant noncitizen applications.

In fiscal year 2022, ERO arrested 46,396 noncitizens with criminal histories. This group had 198,498 associated charges and convictions, including 21,531 assault offenses, 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses, 5,554 weapons offenses, 1,501 homicide-related offenses, and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.

As one of ICE's three operational directorates, ERO is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO's mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency's detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO's workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.