In a dramatic two-week enforcement operation, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Houston deported 142 criminal illegal immigrants to Mexico, including child predators, gang members, human traffickers, and other violent offenders.
According to an ICE statement released Tuesday, the individuals were removed between May 19 and May 30 and had a total of 473 criminal convictions. Incredibly, they had illegally entered the United States a combined 480 times, highlighting a recurring breach of U.S. immigration law.
Shocking Criminal Profiles
Among the deportees were:
- 11 convicted child predators
- 8 documented gang members
- 22 convicted of human trafficking or smuggling
- 48 drug trafficking or possession convictions
- 43 aggravated assault/domestic violence convictions
- 1 conviction for making terroristic threats
Repeat Offenders
One individual, Luis Angel Garcia-Contreras, a Surenos 13 gang member, had illegally entered the U.S. 21 times and had four prior convictions for illegal entry.
Another, Alejandro Aguilar Vazquez, was convicted three times for child cruelty, while Benito Charqueno Zavala, 60, was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child.
ICE Speaks Out
Bret Bradford, Director of ICE ERO in Houston, emphasized the severity of the issue:
“Unfortunately, this is not an anomaly. For the past few years, there was virtually no deterrent to illegally entering the country… Many of these dangerous criminal aliens went on to prey on law-abiding residents in local communities right here in Southeast Texas.”
Bradford explained that although the deportations focused on only one country over a two-week window, they illustrate a much broader crisis.
National Security at Risk
Ammon Blair, a Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, warned that this operation reflects only a small portion of the larger threat. He noted over 650,000 criminal aliens remain on ICE’s Non-Detained Docket, free to move about in American communities.
“This is not a policy disagreement. It is a public safety emergency,” Blair stated.
Texas on the Frontline
With over 60% of the U.S.-Mexico border, Texas has faced an influx of illegal crossings and criminal activity. Nearly 100 counties in Texas have declared states of disaster or invasion, citing cartel activity, weaponized mass migration, and the release of violent offenders into their communities.
As local, state, and federal authorities scramble to address the crisis, this recent enforcement surge highlights the need for sustained border control, immigration reform, and public safety measures to protect law-abiding citizens.
