ICE Houston arrests over 1,500 criminal aliens, gang members, foreign fugitives and immigration offenders during 10-day operation

HOUSTON - ICE Houston arrested 1,505 criminal aliens, transnational gang members, foreign fugitives and other immigration offenders during a 10-day operation in Southeast Texas Oct. 22 - 31, focused on enhancing public safety and restoring integrity to the nation's immigration system.

The 1,505 arrests in just 10 days nearly doubled the number of arrests made by the ICE Houston Field Office during a week-long operation from Aug. 17 - 23 where they arrested 822, and tripled the number of arrests from an operation that ran from Feb. 23 - March 2 when they made 543 arrests.

Among the 1,505 arrests were 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.

"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," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office Director Bret Bradford. "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; 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. 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."

Among the criminal aliens arrested were:

• 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.

Nearly one-third of the aliens arrested during the operation have already received full due process and been ordered removed from the U.S. by an immigration judge. Aliens arrested during the operation who have not been ordered removed and are not subject to expedited removal will be placed into immigration proceedings.

Numerous law enforcement agencies assisted ICE during the week-long operation including 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.

To learn more about ICE's mission to combat illegal immigration in the Houston-area follow us on X at @EROHouston.

Members of the public can report crime and suspicious activity by calling 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip form. Follow us on Twitter @ICEgovERO to learn more about ERO's missions and operations.