ICE announces 1,361 Houston-area immigration arrests in June

HOUSTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of more than 1,300 immigrants in the Houston area last month who were charged with, or have been convicted of, a criminal offense after illegally entering the U.S.

1,300+ arrests in Houston area in June

According to ICE, the arrests were part of the ICE Enforcement Removal Operations Houston field office's routine immigration enforcement activities, which are conducted daily throughout Southeast Texas alongside other agencies.

By the numbers:

According to ICE, 1,361 were arrested in June alone. Of them, 32 were convicted of child sex offenses, nine were convicted of homicide-related offenses and 16 were documented members of a transnational gang or drug cartel, officials say.

What they're saying:

"Despite attempts by some to undermine our mission by spreading false and malicious rumors, the brave men and women of ICE continue to work tirelessly around the clock targeting dangerous criminal aliens to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system and bolster public safety in our communities," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez. "The number of dangerous criminal aliens that they removed from local communities across Southeast Texas last month is just another example of their selfless and unyielding efforts to return our local communities to places where we can all raise our families without having to worry about child predators, gang members, or other violent criminal aliens preying on our loved ones."

Deportation officers from ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office arrest David Antonio Lazo-Alvarenga, a 42-year-old criminal alien from El Salvador, June 12, in Houston. According to ICW, Lazo-Alvarenga has illegally entered th

Expand

Who was arrested?

Dig deeper:

According to ICE, the following people were arrested in June by the ICE ERO Houston Field Office:

• Adermis Wilson-Gonzalez, a 56-year-old criminal alien from Cuba, arrested by ICE June 29, who was convicted in 2003 of hijacking an airplane traveling from Cuba to Key West, Florida.  
• Arnulfo Olivares Cervantes, a 47-year-old criminal alien from Mexico and former Mexicles gang member, arrested by ICE June 13, who has illegally entered the U.S. six times and been convicted twice for trafficking cocaine, and once for attempted murder, evading arrest, illegal entry, and drug possession.
• Luis Pablo Vasquez-Estolano, a 29-year-old six-time deported criminal alien from Mexico, arrested by ICE June 10 who has been convicted of homicide, aggravated robbery, burglary of a vehicle, and drug possession.
• Jose Meza, a 40-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, arrested by ICE June 24 who has illegally entered the U.S. four times and has been convicted of sexual assault of a minor and theft.
• Javier Escobar Gonzalez, a 51-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, arrested by ICE June 23, who has been convicted of sexual indecency with a minor, criminal trespass with a deadly weapon, driving while intoxicated, and unauthorized use of a firearm.