ICE arrests 62 criminal aliens and immigration violators during 3-day central and south Texas enforcement operation

SAN ANTONIO — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers arrested 62 criminal aliens, fugitives and other immigration violators in central and south Texas during a three-day multi-city enforcement operation.

This operation, which began Oct. 28 and concluded Thursday, is the latest effort by ICE to prioritize the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators. Arrests were made in the following areas: Austin, San Antonio, Laredo, Waco and the Rio Grande Valley. The 55 men and seven women who were arrested are from the following five countries:  Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Iraq and Nicaragua.

Of the 62 individuals arrested, 54 had previous criminal convictions including:  aggravated assault, drug possession, burglary, alien smuggling and drunken driving.

The other eight arrests included those who are immigration fugitives, those previously deported, or those in the country without authorization.

Following is a breakdown of those arrested per area during the operation: seven in Austin, five in Waco, 30 in San Antonio, eight in Laredo, and 12 in the Rio Grande Valley. 

The following are case examples of individuals arrested during the operation (in accordance with Department of Homeland Security privacy policies, names are not included):

• A 26-year-old Mexican national with previous convictions for illegal re-entry, delivery of controlled substance and criminal mischief was arrested Oct. 29 by ICE officers in Laredo.
• A 55-year-old Mexican national whose convictions range from aggravated assault with a deadly weapon to multiple DWI’s was arrested Oct. 29 by ICE officers in Laredo.
• A 24-year-old Mexican national whose convictions range from assault with bodily injury to burglary of habitation. He was arrested in Austin Oct. 28 by ICE officers and remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.
• A 37-year-old Honduran national whose convictions include assault and battery, assault with bodily injury to a family member and alien smuggling. He was arrested Oct. 29 by ICE officers in San Antonio. He remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.
• A 40-year-old Mexican national whose convictions range from narcotics trafficking to DWI. He was arrested Oct. 28 by ICE officers in Harlingen, Texas, and remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.
• A 20-year-old Mexican national with previous convictions of injury to a child was arrested Oct. 24 by ICE officers in Waco, Texas. He remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.

ICE encourages the public to call our ICE tip line (1-866-DHS-2ICE) to anonymously report those who may be illegally in the U.S. and considered a potential threat to public safety.

In fiscal year 2014, the six San Antonio Field Office Fugitive Operations Teams arrested more than 940 individuals. The San Antonio Field Office also set record removal totals.  The San Antonio Field Office, ICE’s largest field office in the country, removed more than 108,000 individuals of the nearly 316,000 removals nationwide in fiscal year 2014.

ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security. ICE also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.