1,505 Criminal Aliens Nabbed in ICE Houston Blitz: Gang Members, Child Predators, Repeat Felons Swept Off Texas Streets

HOUSTON, Texas — In a high-impact 10-day operation across Southeast Texas, ICE Houston arrested 1,505 illegal aliens—including gang members, child rapists, and foreign fugitives—amid growing public demand for immigration enforcement and national security. The arrests included a Mexican Mafia member wanted for murder and rape, a four-time deported Paisas gang member with a violent record, and five child predators—all previously roaming free in American communities. Breitbart Texas rode with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers during this immigration crackdown.

ICE officials say the crackdown sends a clear message: criminal aliens will no longer exploit U.S. borders with impunity. Breitbart Texas accompanied Larry Adams, Acting Deputy Director of the Houston ICE Field Office, who provided details of a groundbreaking law enforcement operation targeting criminal hotspots across multiple Texas counties. The pilot operation on October 25night focused on finding criminal aliens on the streets. Adams told Breitbart Texas that they anticipated there would be more opportunities to find people committing crimes, including carrying drugs, firearms, and driving under the influence.

ERO officers and other federal agents apprehended more than 1,500 criminal aliens during the ten-day operation in Houston and surrounding counties in Southeast Texas. These arrests nearly doubled the previous office record of 822 criminal aliens arrested in an August operation, officials reported. In March, ERO Houston conducted another operation that resulted in the arrest of 543 individuals.

Those arrested during the October surprise operation included 17 documented gang members, 40 aggravated felons, one convicted murderer, 13 sexual predators, one foreign fugitive, 115 aggravated assault offenses, 142 DWIs, 55 drug offenses, 25 burglary/theft offenses, 31 weapons offenses, 255 illegal aliens who committed a felony by illegally reentering the U.S. after being deported at least once, and numerous other additional criminal offenses.

Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford expressed his pride in the officers and agents who carried out this operation, saying, “Despite the conditions becoming increasingly dangerous for our officers as a result of the spread of violent political rhetoric and intentionally false information, they continue to put their lives at risk every day to apprehend dangerous illegal aliens, gang members, child predators and other violent criminal aliens who threaten public safety here in Southeast Texas.”

“Thanks to their unwavering commitment to defend this community from foreign criminal invaders and other illegal aliens who undermine our rule of law, a previously deported Mexican Mafia gang member convicted of raping and impregnating his underage sister who is also wanted in Mexico for murder is no longer free,” Bradford continued. “A four-time deported Paisas gang member arrested for DWI and convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest with a vehicle is no longer beating up law-abiding Americans or driving intoxicated on our roadways; and five other criminal alien child predators are no longer free in the community preying on innocent children.”

During the October 25 nighttime ride-along, Bradford told Breitbart, “These men and women all volunteered to work this new nighttime operation. They were out on the streets of Houston early Saturday morning to work their regular shift and then volunteered to come back out tonight for this pilot op.”

Examples of those arrested include:

• Selvin Joel Lara Diaz, a 35-year-old previously deported child predator, illegal alien, and Mexican Mafia gang member who was convicted of raping and impregnating his minor sister, and is also wanted in his home country of Honduras for murder. ICE officers and their federal partners arrested Lara Diaz Oct. 29 in a Houston-area grocery store after he fled and was found hiding under one of the shelves in the store’s stockroom.
• Marlon Odir Gomez Hernandez, a 29-year-old illegal alien and suspected MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, who fled to the U.S. after he was arrested with six other suspected MS-13 gang members Jan. 26, 2022, for aggravated extortion. ICE Houston arrested Hernandez Oct. 27 during a targeted enforcement operation in the Houston area, after he ran inside a local washateria, climbed through the ceiling panels to get on the roof and became wedged in a sign on the side of the building.
• Salvador Ramirez-Carrillo, a 46-year-old four-time previously deported criminal illegal alien from Mexico and Paisas gang member, arrested by ICE Oct. 29 who has been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest with a vehicle.
• Rony Andy Martinez Lopez, a 27-year-old previously deported criminal illegal alien from Honduras, arrested by ICE Oct. 28 who has been convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and cruelty towards a child.
• Vongphachan Phothisome, a 53-year-old criminal illegal alien from Laos, arrested by ICE Oct. 30 who has been convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor.
• Rey David Bautista-Antonio, a 27-year-old criminal illegal alien from Mexico, arrested by ICE Oct. 29 who has been convicted of three DWIs.

ICE officials report that nearly one-third of those arrested during the operation have already had their due process proceedings and been ordered removed from the country. “Aliens arrested during the operation who have not been ordered removed and are not subject to expedited removal will be placed into immigration proceedings,” officials stated.

The Trump administration ordered a “whole-of-government” approach to its mass deportation operations. During this operation, state police,federal agents and officers included U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Attorney’s Office; the Diplomatic Security Service; the FBI; the U.S. Marshals Service; and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Bradford concluded his statement, saying, “While it’s impossible to put a measure on the crimes that will never happen as a result of their efforts during this operation, I can tell you with certainty that they’ve saved lives and prevented countless Houstonians from having to suffer from the nightmares and PTSD that come with being a victim of violent crime.”