Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Houston announced the arrest of 277 ‘criminal illegal aliens’ who have been convicted of a combined 751 criminal offenses and illegally entered the U.S. 654 times, including a convicted murderer from Mexico who caused a fatal drinking and driving crash in Angelina County. Between April 6 – April 17, ICE arrested 17 child predators, 6 murderers, 16 drug traffickers, 15 gang members or associates, 67 robbers, 2 foreign fugitives wanted for murder, and 11 aliens convicted of hit-and-run.
Among the ‘criminal illegal aliens arrested’ by ICE in the Houston area during the past two weeks is Leobardo Nieves-Vasquez, 35, a convicted murderer from Mexico. He was convicted of intoxicated manslaughter in Angelina County, Texas, in 2011. Nieves was arrested April 7 and deported to Mexico April 9.
“ICE arrested these monsters with assistance from federal, state and local law enforcement partners,” according to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting Field Office Director Paul McBride. He says “the staggering arrests” come as the Houston Council and Harris County Commissioners Court continue to flirt with sanctuary policies to limit cooperation with ICE.
“President Trump and Secretary Mullin know that when ICE works with local and state law enforcement partners, that communities are safer, illegal aliens are arrested, and the American people are protected,” said McBride. “Thanks to those relationships, we’ve removed hundreds of dangerous criminal illegal alien child predators, murderers, drug traffickers, gang members, and thieves from the local community in just two weeks and prevented an untold number of U.S. citizens from becoming victims.”
“If these measures are implemented to limit that cooperation there will be immediate impacts to public safety, national security, and border security,” McBride continued. “Tragically, the worst impact will be felt in the migrant community that these same officials claim they’re protecting, because that’s where criminal illegal aliens commit the majority of their offenses.”
Among the notable criminal offenses were:
-17 convictions for child sex offenses
-6 convictions for homicide-related offenses
-67 convictions for robbery-related offenses (burglary, theft, robbery)
-156 convictions for DWI (including 13 aliens convicted of 3 or more DWIs)
-11 convictions for hit-and-run (failure to stop and render aid)
-74 convictions for assault-related offenses
-15 convictions for alien smuggling
-14 convictions for illegal weapons/firearms offenses
-16 convictions for drug trafficking
-108 convictions for drug possession
-29 convictions for resisting / evading arrest
-16 convictions for fraud or forgery-related offenses
-8 convictions for trespassing
-15 gang members or associates
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.
ICE’s Houston field office is responsible for conducting immigration enforcement in 58 counties in Southeast Texas, stretching down the Texas Gulf Coast from Beaumont to Corpus Christi and from Houston/Galveston out to Waco, Texas. To learn more about ICE’s immigration enforcement mission in Southeast Texas, follow us on X at @EROHouston.