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ICE Arrests Nearly 550 Criminal Migrants in Massive City Sweep

Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2025
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DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Federal immigration authorities arrested several hundred criminal migrants in a massive Houston operation that spanned only several days.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested 646 illegal migrants, 543 of which were foreign nationals charged or convicted of a criminal offense and living unlawfully in the United States, according to a press release from the agency. The extensive operation—which was conducted in the Houston, Texas, area from Feb. 23 to March 2—was the latest in the Trump administration’s mission to arrest and deport criminal illegal migrants from the country. 

“In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members, and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to illegally enter the U.S.,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said in a prepared statement. “After illegally entering the country, many of these criminal aliens have gone on to commit violent crime and reign terror on law-abiding residents.”

“Fueled by our unwavering commitment to protect the public from harm, and united in our determination to restore integrity to our nation’s system of laws, ICE and our law enforcement partners in Southeast Texas have banded together to remove these dangerous criminal aliens from our local communities and put an end to the lawlessness that they spread,” Bradford continued.

Among those arrested included 140 illegal migrants charged or convicted of an aggravated felony or other violent crime such as homicide, aggravated assault, or domestic violence, according to the agency. Deportation officers also apprehended 52 illegal migrants charged or convicted of illicit narcotics offenses such as drug trafficking or possession of a controlled substance, 34 illegal migrants charged or convicted of a sex offense or child sex offense such as aggravated sexual assault of a minor, possession of child pornography or rape, and numerous other illegal migrants allegedly involved in heinous crimes were apprehended.

The agency added that documented gang members and human smugglers were among those arrested, marking a victory in U.S. law enforcement’s war on organized crime.

The Houston sweep is the latest in the Trump administration’s aim in conducting the largest deportation operation in the country’s history. Since resuming power, the Trump White House has issued a series of directives and administrative orders aimed at helping ICE agents locate, apprehend, and repatriate illegal migrants, particularly those with storied criminal histories.

The administration is already far exceeding the Biden White House’s pace of ICE arrests. Federal immigration authorities arrested more than 20,000 illegal migrants during President Donald Trump’s first month in office, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.

Trump issued several executive orders on his first day in the Oval Office, including an emergency declaration at the southern border allowing for the use of military resources to help stem the illegal immigration crisis. The administration also made so-called “sensitive locations” fair game for ICE agents, giving them far more freedom to conduct enforcement actions, and marshaled the resources of nearly every other federal agency to help in immigration enforcement.

The latter directive was on display during the Houston operation, with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, and other agencies assisting ICE, according to the agency.

“In just one week working alongside our counterparts from federal, state, and local law enforcement, ICE HSI special agents successfully executed 71 criminal arrest warrants and made 554 administrative arrests that included illegally present human smugglers, gang members, human traffickers, child sex offenders, drug traffickers, and weapons traffickers,” ICE Homeland Security Investigations Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz said in a statement.

“These collective efforts have made our local communities significantly safer and strengthened our national security and border security,” Plantz continued.

Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation

Jason Hopkins is a reporter covering immigration issues for the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Reprinted with permission from The Daily Signal – By Jason Hopkins

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.

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Lieutenant Beale
Lieutenant Beale
8 days ago

It’s a great start but it’s too bad we can’t deport Democrats since they left the borders wide open the last 4 years.

anna hubert
anna hubert
8 days ago

A true culprit here are those who encouraged and orchestrated the whole influx of illegals immigrants by calling them refugees ,giving them the housing and all other necessities.. They are the ones who need to be prosecuted and charged. The whole caboodle. None of it would be happening without their approval.an and encouragement.

LOVER OF GOD AND AMERICA
LOVER OF GOD AND AMERICA
8 days ago

GO ICE! LETS GET THEM ALL – ILLEGALS!

GMA
GMA
8 days ago

Congratulations to ICE! Making it safer for Americans…who should really be arrested are those who have been in the PAST Administration all are corrupt.

Professor Fate
Professor Fate
8 days ago

Anyone who interferes with, conceals, aids and abets escapes and otherwise hinders the arrests of these illegal invaders should be arrested, charged under appropriate laws and jailed. This includes ALL elected officials, law enforcement personnel, NGO’s and American citizens. Keep the ball rolling, ICE!

Virginia
Virginia
8 days ago

I see the need and agree with what the Trump administration is doing to make our country safe and secure. It is also heartbreaking to see those who have previously entered illegally and who were given false hope and comfort by the previous administration. But I also see the wisdom as it sets an example which others would do well to avoid. I would welcome anyone in America who would choose wisely and enter in a legal manner. I have no sympathy for any illegals who are also criminals and am happy to see them rounded up and packed off to wherever they came from. They don’t belong here.. . we have enough of those.. .

Professor Fate
Professor Fate
8 days ago

Excellent work, ICE! Keep the ball rolling! ANYONE who interferes with, deters, conceals or harbors ANY illegal invader needs to be arrested, charged and jailed immediately. This includes ALL elected officials, law enforcement members, NGO’s and regular citizens. This invasion WILL be rolled back and eliminated.

Michael
Michael
8 days ago

I back President Trump 99% and have trouble remembering the 1% I disagree with !!!
Mike in Cedarburg, WI

michaelR
michaelR
8 days ago

Excellent ! Can’t get them out of here fast enough.

LouAnn
LouAnn
8 days ago

Thank God and Pres. Trump. Protect those involved in rounding up the illegals.

Leslie
Leslie
8 days ago

These raids are VERY expensive! If we force employers to use E-verify (already law) then no jobs for illegals. No money, no housing, they will SELF-DEPORT much faster!! There are probably 50 million illegals in the country by now. We do not have time and money to deport them all. Need to get them to leave by themselves.

Joe
Joe
8 days ago

Well done, ICE!!! Adios illegal aliens, enjoy Gitmo!!!

Louie
Louie
8 days ago

Tom Homan PLEASE come to Sand DIego. Our treasonous Demok-RAT city council just voted to continue to willingly provide safe sanctuary for CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS.

PLZ1123
PLZ1123
8 days ago

Thank you President Trump including all of the law enforcement agencies who are working tirelessly on keeping us safe.
Now we should revoke Soros’s citizenship and arrest the entire Biden cartel.

Dan
Dan
8 days ago

Outstanding! Go Trump, ICE, and all other law enforcement officers for doing a great job ridding the United States of these vermin! Only about 20 million more to find and deport. Keep up the the amazing work! Also, throw out all of the Dems that are complicit in this invasion!

ppuck64
ppuck64
8 days ago

There is no such thing as an “illegal immigrant” or “illegal migrant.” If they are in the country illegally then they are invaders.
Go ICE!

Hugh Johnson
Hugh Johnson
8 days ago

Impale them along the border with some Democrats and we won’t need a wall!!

Robert Zuccaro
Robert Zuccaro
8 days ago

ICE, ICE, baby.

PapaYEC
PapaYEC
8 days ago

A tiny drop in the 30M bucket.

granny26
granny26
7 days ago

Put them all on a plane and ship them to the southernmost tip of South America.

Juliana Cheng
Juliana Cheng
5 days ago

I have not complete the reading but wondering what happened to that bilingual in Spanish U.S. Air Force Sargent whom was “put downed” by two neighborhood civilians after he cold bloodedly murdered a local Santa Cruz County Sheriff up in the small mountain town of Boulder Creek if not Ben Lomand after he killed a FBI agent up in Oakland area either few weeks if not few days before he came down to Santa Cruz to meet with his gangs/hide out and committed more violence acts? That happened several years ago and I have no idea what happened to the murderer since he was arrested when the towns and neighborhood mourn for weeks if not years on the lost of the Sheriff with a young son and a baby girl, I think, and left us adults/seniors wondering forever…

bill
bill
6 days ago

Hasta la vista, baby.

Terri
Terri
6 days ago

I wish ICE would arrest more of them in Minneapolis – hoping that our city is on the list to come to soon.

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