ICE arrests over 3,500 criminal illegal aliens in Houston during shutdown

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston arrested more than 3,500 criminal illegal aliens, including child predators, murderers and gang members, during the longest government shutdown, even though many agents went without pay.

ICE officials said the six-week operation, conducted from Oct. 1 to Nov. 12, was one of the largest enforcement actions in recent years and underscores the agency’s commitment to public safety, even if federal employees are unpaid.

“Our entire team understands how critical ICE’s mission is to public safety and national security, and although many went without pay, they continued to show up every day and give everything they had to protect this community from dangerous criminal illegal alien gang members, child predators, murderers, and rapists,” said Bret Bradford, Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operation (ERO) Houston Field Office. he said.

ICE said the operation led to the arrest of 3,593 criminal illegal aliens in Southeast Texas, including 67 sex offenders, 51 child predators, 13 murderers, 10 fugitives and 23 gang members. Among those detained were members of the MS-13 and Paisas gangs.

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The arrests included hundreds of aliens convicted of drunken driving, aggravated assault, weapons offenses and theft, authorities said.

Other convictions included aggravated kidnapping, drug-related crimes, human trafficking, making terroristic threats, prostitution, bribery and illegal reentry.

Among those arrested was Brayan Josue Pineda-Ayala, a 23-year-old MS-13 gang member from Honduras who was released to the United States by the Biden administration in May 2024 and later allegedly committed a triple murder in Dallas County. ICE arrested him on October 7.

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ICE Houston arrested 3,593 criminal illegal aliens during the longest federal government shutdown in history. (ICE)

ICE also arrested 44-year-old Froilan Mejia Olveram, a twice-removed convicted alien and convicted rapist from Mexico, on October 23. ICE said Mejia was encountered by agents in 2023 but could not be taken into custody due to the Biden administration’s enforcement guidelines. The following month, he raped and assaulted a woman and was later convicted, according to ICE.

Other arrests included Baldomero Perez-Quezada, 56, a child predator who had been removed from Mexico four times and was deported on October 31; Marco Dubon-Ayala, 51, of Mexico, convicted of sexual indecency with a child; and Juan Jose Moreno-Renteria, a 40-year-old Mexican child predator who entered the United States illegally seven times.

ICE said agents also arrested 10 fugitives wanted for serious crimes in the United States and abroad.

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Criminal aliens arrested included 67 sex offenders, 51 child predators, 13 murderers, 10 wanted fugitives and 23 gang members, ICE said. (ICE)

Among them was Octavio Cruz-Garcia, a convicted alien who had been removed from Mexico five times and was wanted for murder in Harris County, Texas.

Two Honduran brothers, Elder Antonio Cruz-Hernandez and Yony Roberto Cruz-Hernandez, were also arrested and remained in ICE custody until they were extradited back to Honduras, where they were wanted for murder.

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The arrests underscore the agency’s mission to eliminate violent criminals and ensure that those wanted for serious crimes are brought to justice.

“As a result of these efforts, 51 dangerous child predators are no longer free to prey on our children, 10 fugitives were captured and will now face justice for the crimes they allegedly committed, and thousands of other violent criminal aliens have been removed from local communities in Southeast Texas and will be removed from the United States,” Bradford said. he said.