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March 27, 2018Dallas, TX, United StatesEnforcement and Removal

ICE arrests 89 in North Texas and Oklahoma areas during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitives

ICE arrests 89 in North Texas and Oklahoma areas during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitives ICE arrests 89 in North Texas and Oklahoma areas during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitives ICE arrests 89 in North Texas and Oklahoma areas during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitives ICE arrests 89 in North Texas and Oklahoma areas during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitives

DALLAS — Federal officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 89 criminal aliens and immigration violators in North Texas and Oklahoma during a three-day enforcement action, which ended Thursday.

During this operation, ERO deportation officers made arrests in the following Texas cities and towns: Allen (1), Alvarado (2), Balch Springs (2), Cactus (3), Dallas (8), Denton (3), Dumas (1), Duncanville (1), Fort Worth (4), Friona (1), Garland (3), Gilmer (4), Greenville (3), Irving (1), Kilgore (1), Lewisville (2), Longview (1), Lubbock (15), Mt. Pleasant (1), Plano (3), Quitman (1), Rockwall (3) and Tyler (7).  A total of 18 arrests were made in Oklahoma in the cities of Oklahoma City (10), El Reno (1), Norman (1), Stillwater (2) and Tulsa (3) and Woodward (1).  Of the 89 arrested, 67 had criminal convictions; 88 men and one woman were arrested.  They range in age from 19 to 60 years old.

Aliens arrested during this operation are from the following 10 countries:  Mexico (59), Guatemala (12), Honduras (8), Colombia (3), Nigeria (2), El Salvador (1), Laos (1), Nicaragua (1), Pakistan (1) and Vietnam (1).

Most of the aliens targeted by ERO deportation officers during this operation had prior criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: aggravated assault family strong-arm, aggravated assault of a public servant, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon , alien smuggling, assault causing bodily injury, assault causes bodily injury family violence, assault, child abuse, criminal mischief, dangerous drugs, discharge of a firearm, driving while intoxicated, fraud, illegal entry, indecent lewd acts with a child under 16, larceny, liquor violation, manufacture and distribution of a controlled substance, negligent homicide, possession of marijuana, possession of methamphetamines, possession of a controlled substance, racketeering, rape, robbery and making terroristic threats.

Twenty three of those arrested illegally re-entered the United States after having been previously deported, which is a felony.  Depending on an alien’s criminality, an alien who re-enters the United States after having been previously deported commits a felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.

The following are criminal summaries of five offenders arrested in North Texas and Oklahoma during this operation:

  • March 20: A 45-year-old citizen of Guatemala, was arrested at Mesquite, Texas.  He was convicted of sexual assault in 1991 and was sentenced to 10 years deferred probation. He had been previously removed from the United States, and illegally re-entered, which is a felony. He will be processed for removal from the United States and presented to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for re-entry after deportation.
  • March 20: A 27-year-old citizen of Vietnam was arrested at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  Following his convictions for Rape 2, and two counts of indent/lewd acts with child under 16 in 2012, he was respectively sentenced to 15 years (suspended) and to 20 years (suspended) for each count.  He remains in ICE custody pending an immigration hearing before a federal immigration judge.
  • March 20: A 28-year-old illegal alien from Mexico and confirmed gang member was arrested at Fort Worth, Texas.   He was convicted of making a terroristic threat in 2013 and was sentenced to 6 months’ probation. He remains in ICE custody pending an immigration hearing before a federal immigration judge.
  • March 20: A 42-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested at Fort Worth. He was convicted of manufacturing/delivery of a controlled substance in 2012 and was sentenced to five years of in prison.  He was removed in 2015, and illegal re-entered the United States illegally in 2016.  He will be processed for removal from the United States and presented to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for re-entry after deportation.
  • March 21: A 28-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested at Lancaster, Texas.  He is currently wanted by authorities in Hidalgo, Mexico, for homicide based on a 2009 arrest warrant.  He also was convicted in Texas for driving while intoxicated. He remains in ICE custody pending an immigration hearing before a federal immigration judge.
“This North Texas and Oklahoma operation removed 67 criminal aliens from our streets and our communities,” said Simona L. Flores, field office director of ERO Dallas. “In addition to this valuable community service, our ICE officers also help maintain the integrity of our immigration laws.”  The Dallas area of responsibility includes 128 counties in North Texas and Oklahoma.

All of the targets in this operation were amenable to arrest and removal under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act.

ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement operations daily nationwide as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls.

These operations involve existing and established Fugitive Operations Teams.

During targeted enforcement operations, ICE officers frequently encounter other aliens illegally present in the United States.  These aliens are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and, when appropriate, they are arrested by ICE officers.

Editor’s Note: The arrest statistics provided in this news release represent preliminary data that has been manually reported to ICE headquarters. Official numbers can vary slightly from preliminary data.

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