ICE Texas field offices remove nearly 1,700 sex offenders this year

SAN ANTONIO — The four Texas field offices within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) have deported nearly 1,700 sex offenders this fiscal year.

Of the 1,685 aliens removed so far this fiscal year by the four Texas-based offices, about 25 percent were convicted of sex offenses against children.

ICE's four Texas field offices are located in Dallas, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio. ICE officers routinely apprehend removable convicted sex offenders during targeted enforcement operations, or they are turned over to ICE custody when local/state jails or prisons release after they serve their prison sentences. Additionally, ICE and the Texas Department of Public Safety have begun to regularly share information on sex offenders. This partnership allows ICE to cross-reference the list of sex offenders provided from the state to determine if they are removable aliens.

"Our partnerships with the state and local jails are crucial to our success in removing sex offenders and other criminals," said San Antonio Field Office Director Enrique M. Lucero. "Our combined efforts to find new and better ways to target criminals for removal have a positive impact on public safety."

Following are the latest statistics by ICE office of the convicted sex offenders who have been removed so far this fiscal year – and those convicted of sex offenses against children:

• Dallas (includes 128 counties in north Texas, and the state of Oklahoma): 396 – 121;
• El Paso (includes 18 counties in far west Texas and the state of New Mexico): 320 – 70;
• Houston (southeast Texas): 567 – 162; and
• San Antonio: (includes south central Texas): 402 – 40.

Some of the more egregious offenses of these criminal alien sex offenders who were deported from Texas include: sexual assault, kidnapping, and aggravated sexual assault of a child. Following are some of those cases:

• A 44-year-old man from Mexico was arrested by San Antonio ICE officers March 21, 2012. He had been convicted in 2002 for indecency with a child and sentenced to two years in federal prison. He was deported in 2004 via the Laredo, Texas, port of entry.
• A 32-year-old man from Mexico was arrested by San Antonio ICE officers July 10, 2012. He had been convicted of indecency with a child by sexual contact. He was sentenced to one year federal prison. He was deported Dec. 14, 2012 via Laredo, Texas, port of entry.
• A 39-year-old illegal alien from Mexico was arrested by Dallas ICE officers April 17. He had been convicted April 15 for indecency with a child – sexual contact, and was sentenced to 10 years' probation. He was deported April 17 via the Laredo, Texas, port of entry.
• A 55-year-old man from Mexico and U.S. permanent resident was arrested by Dallas ICE officers April 9. He had been arrested by local law enforcement on criminal charges April 6, 2012, and was convicted March 22, 2013 for indecency with a child – contact, and received five years' deferred adjudication. He was deported April 17 via the Laredo, Texas, port of entry.
• A 35-year-old illegal alien from Mexico was arrested by Dallas ICE officers March 4, 2013. He had been convicted for indecency with a child – sexual contact, Feb. 25 and sentenced to eight years' probation. He was deported March 4 via the Laredo, Texas, port of entry.

Anyone who re-enters the United States, after having been formally deported following an aggravated felony conviction, commits another felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Nationwide, ICE has removed about 311,000 aliens so far this fiscal year – which includes about 176,000 aliens with criminal convictions.

ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of criminal aliens, recent border crossers and egregious immigration law violators, such as those who have been previously removed from the United States.

These removals represent the agency's ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators.