U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of 1,361 criminal aliens in the Houston area during June 2025, primarily individuals with prior convictions for serious offenses.
The arrests, conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston field office, targeted illegal aliens posing threats to public safety in southeast Texas.
Among those detained were 32 individuals convicted of child sex offenses, nine convicted of homicide-related crimes, and 16 documented members of transnational gangs or drug cartels.
One arrest involved an alien previously convicted of hijacking an airplane.
Specific cases highlighted include Adermis Wilson-Gonzalez, a 56-year-old Cuban national convicted of hijacking, and Arnulfo Olivares Cervantes, a 47-year-old Mexican national with attempted murder convictions.
Luis Pablo Vasquez-Estolano, a 29-year-old, six-time deported criminal alien from Mexico, has been convicted of homicide, aggravated robbery, burglary of a vehicle, and drug possession.
This June effort follows a pattern of ICE operations in the region.
In May, ICE arrested 422 illegal aliens in Houston, including suspects in murder and arson cases. In March, a major sweep netted 646 arrests, including gang members and other criminals.
Deportations have also ramped up; on June 4, ICE Houston removed 142 criminal aliens to Mexico, including eight gang members and 11 child predators.
Recent activities include arrests outside Houston immigration courts. On June 10, ICE detained three illegal aliens moments after their asylum cases were dropped. The following day, three more were arrested at the same location.
Additionally, in late June, ICE apprehended two Iranian nationals in Houston as part of a broader roundup of 11 Iranians nationwide.
ICE ERO Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez stated, “Despite attempts by some to undermine our mission by spreading false and malicious rumors, the brave men and women of ICE continue to work tirelessly around the clock targeting dangerous criminal aliens to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system and bolster public safety in our communities.”
He noted the arrests exemplify efforts to protect local communities from threats like child predators and violent offenders.
These operations occur amid other immigration-related developments in Houston, such as a May charter flight repatriating 64 self-deporting aliens to Colombia and Honduras, and an April bust detaining 31 illegal aliens in a $22 million gambling ring.
In January 2025, Harris County was reported to have spent millions defending illegal aliens from deportation in 2024.
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