Following a five-day enforcement operation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of nine individuals in the Houston area for sex offenses and violent crimes. ICE detained 20 others at a Spring manufacturing plant for immigration violations.
The operation, which took place from February 23 to February 27, targeted criminal illegal aliens with serious offenses, including sexual assault of minors, burglary, and drug possession.
On February 24, ICE apprehended two individuals:
- A 39-year-old from El Salvador charged with continuous sexual assault of a minor.
- A 57-year-old from Vietnam convicted of burglary, illegal possession of a weapon, and abduction with intent to extort money for immoral purposes.
On February 25, ICE arrested three more people:
- A 72-year-old Filipino convicted of cocaine possession and aggravated sexual assault of a minor.
- A 57-year-old from Vietnam convicted of aggravated assault, carrying a prohibited weapon, gross sexual imposition with a minor under 13, failure to register as a sex offender, and prostitution.
- A 55-year-old from Cuba convicted of aggravated sexual assault.
On February 26, ICE detained another three individuals:
- A 61-year-old Cuban convicted of sexual assault, sexual battery with a weapon, kidnapping, and failure to register as a sex offender.
- A 61-year-old from Mexico convicted of driving while intoxicated and aggravated sexual assault of a minor.
- A 41-year-old from Mexico convicted of marijuana possession, DWI, and indecency with a minor by contact.
The last individual, a 71-year-old from Cuba, who was convicted of sexual battery of a minor, was arrested by ICE on February 27.
“Our local communities are safer as a direct result of this targeted enforcement effort,” said Chad Plantz, ICE Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge. “In just five days, working alongside our federal and state partners, and leveraging HSI’s unique investigative authorities and extensive expertise in investigating child exploitation crimes, we were able to quickly locate and remove these criminal aliens from the community before they could re-offend.”
In addition, on February 25, ICE detained 20 individuals at Texas Couplings LLC, a manufacturing facility in Spring, Texas.
The detainees were taken to a Conroe facility for administrative immigration violations, according to ICE spokesman Timothy Oberle. This operation was part of a worksite enforcement initiative. Texas Couplings LLC was targeted after an I-9 audit conducted to verify employment eligibility revealed discrepancies within the company.
Also on February 25, ICE, along with state law enforcement, conducted a major raid in the Colony Ridge development, which resulted in 118 arrests. Colony Ridge has long been under investigation for its lending practices and alleged ties to illegal immigration.
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