Brendan Kirby
A massive sweep in Texas this month resulted in 145 arrests, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
It is the latest sign that President Donald Trump’s administration is ramping up interior immigration enforcement.
ICE agents targeted illegal immigrants who either had criminal convictions or had re-entered the United States after they were previously deported. The raids focused on south and central Texas.
Of the 145 people arrested, 86 individuals had criminal convictions, while 39 were arrested based on previous immigration encounters, according to ICE. Four of the individuals have pending criminal charges. Twenty of those arrested had no prior encounters with the agency, ICE authorities said.
Daniel Bible, Enforcement and Removal Office field director in San Antonio, said in a statement that the operation demonstrates ICE’s commitment to enforcing the law.
“ICE’s leadership has made clear that ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement,” he said. “All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and — if found removable by final order — removal from the United States. By effecting these immigration enforcement operations, the dedicated men and women of ICE help keep our communities safe.”
The arrests included:
- A previously deported, 42-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico arrested in Harlingen, Texas. He was convicted in 2011 of indecency with a child, a felony, and was sentenced to 10 years’ probation. He currently faces federal criminal charges for illegally re-entering the U.S. after having been deported.
- A previously deported, 42-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico arrested in San Antonio. He was convicted in 2008 of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to four months in federal prison. In October 2017, he was convicted of DUI and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
- A previously deported, 40-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico arrested in San Antonio. He was deported to Mexico in 2009 after he illegally entered the U.S. through Laredo, Texas. Some time after 2009, he illegally re-entered and was arrested at his home, where officers discovered six handguns.