HOUSTON, Texas — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week that nearly 3,600 criminal illegal aliens were arrested in Houston during the six-week Democrat-led government shutdown. Department of Homeland Security officials said the arrests targeted the “worst of the worst,” including convicted pedophiles, MS-13 gang members, kidnappers, and repeat offenders previously deported multiple times.
Breitbart Texas rode with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) during the government shutdown and with ICE Houston during its first-ever nighttime enforcement action. During four hours, before getting rained out, ERO officers arrested approximately 40 illegal aliens, including at least two drunk drivers.
ICE Launches Intensive Weekend Crackdown Targeting Houston High-Crime Areas (Bob Price/Breitbart Texas)
By the end of the six-week government shutdown, ICE officers and other federal and state law enforcement partners rounded up 3,593 criminal illegal aliens. DHS officials described many of these as the “worst of the worst.”
DHS officials provide a partial list of some of these criminal aliens, including:
Among the worst of the worst arrested in the Houston area:
Leo Michel Acosta Sanchez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico with an Interpol Red Notice in Mexico for aggravated intentional homicide.
Angel Gabriel Ramirez-Robles, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, previously removed TWICE and convicted of sexual assault of a child.
Ramiro Ricardo Maldonado-Trevino, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and known MS-13 gang member, convicted of alien smuggling, who illegally entered the United States SIX TIMES.
Noi Ly, a criminal illegal alien from Cambodia, convicted of aggravated kidnapping, burglary, carrying a prohibited weapon, and theft.
Gustavo Chacha Cano, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for aggravated sex assault child.
Hector Eugenio Ramirez-Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, convicted for sexual indecency with a child.
Filomin Palacios Godino, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico with an active warrant for illegal reentry, previously removed TWICE and convicted of sexual indecency with a child and driving while intoxicated.
Jose Angel Maldonado-Salazar, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, previously removed TWICE, convicted of sex assault, driving while intoxicated, and illegal entry.
Hector Rubio-Garcia, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, previously removed TWICE, convicted of indecent exposure, driving while intoxicated, and evading arrest.
Juan Antonio Hernandez-Sanchez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, previously removed TWICE and convicted for sexual assault, battery, and two counts of illegal entry.
Brayan Jose Cruz-Mendez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, convicted for online solicitation of minor under 14.
Jose Luis Martinez Hernandez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for aggravated sexual assault of child under 14.
Milton Enrique Peralta-Robles, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador, convicted for invasive visual recording bath/dress.
Adan Arrellano Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for sexual indecency with a child and disorderly conduct.
Manuel Fonseca-Sanchez, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for sexual indecency with a child.
Mariano Yanez Conejo, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for aggravated sexual assault of child.
Oscar Adrian Lucas-Paxtor, a criminal illegal alien from Guatemala, convicted for sexual assault of a child 14-17.
Valentin Zamudio Flores, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, convicted for sexual indecency with a child.
Jose Luis Contreras Cabrera, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, convicted for indecent assault.
Jonathan Eduardo Rangel-Salazar, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico and previously removed, convicted for online solicitation of a minor. (Emphasis above provided by DHS officials.)
Others arrested in the operation include:
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.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Noem we have the most secure border in American history and the days of illegal aliens breaking America’s laws with impunity are OVER,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a written statement.
During Breitbarrt’s October ride-along, ERO Houston Acting Deputy Director Larry Adams said the agency is using sophisticated software to isolate the concentration of illegal aliens and criminal activity. “We’ve identified approximately 800 potential targets within just a one-mile radius,” Adams explained. Using their proprietary “Elite” system, the team will strategically saturate high-crime areas.
The operation represents a significant departure from traditional enforcement methods. “Instead of sending two or three teams across the area, we’re overrunning these locations,” Adams told Breitbart. The operation will target various criminal categories, including aggravated felons, sexual predators, and other high-risk individuals, he explained.
Adams emphasized the nuanced approach, noting that officers will create legal probable cause through careful license plate checks and immigration verifications. “We’re not just randomly stopping people,” he stressed.
“So what we’ll do is we’ll find an area,” Adams explained. “Then we’ll choose (categories) like aggravated felons or crimes of violence, things like that, all the way down to sexual predators.” He explained this is how they develop the targeted enforcement operations that have landed thousands of dangerous criminal aliens in custody, resulting in their permanent removal from the country.
Before the nighttime operation began, Breitbart spoke with ICE ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford, who expressed his pride in the team on Saturday night. “These men and women all volunteered to work this new nighttime operation,” the director said. “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.”
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.”
Bob Price is the Breitbart Texas-Border team’s associate editor and senior news contributor. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday morning talk show. He also serves as president of Blue Wonder Gun Care Products.