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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested nearly 3,600 criminal illegal aliens in Houston during the six-week government shutdown.
According to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the operation targeted the “worst of the worst.”
Convicted pedophiles, members of violent foreign gangs like MS-13, kidnappers and aliens who had been deported multiple times were arrested.
As Breitbart reports, some of the very worst included:
- 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, and
- Hector Eugenio Ramirez-Martinez, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras, convicted for sexual indecency with a child
“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.
A representative of the local branch of ICE told Breitbart that the operation represented a vindication of the agency’s new tactics, which involve the use of sophisticated software to locate hundreds of potential targets within a small area.
ICE agents then “overrun” the area, “instead of sending two or three teams.”
Officers create legal probable cause using license-plate checks and other verifications, before choosing particular categories of crime to target, like aggravated felonies and child sexual offences.
In related news, New Orleans is the next target for President Trump’s federal immigration crackdown, sources have told Reuters.
Border Patrol agents are expected to arrive in the city this weekend, with the operation running into January.
New Orleans will be the latest Democrat-run city to be targeted for a surge in immigration enforcement by the Trump administration.
Trump’s policy of surges began over the summer, first with deployments to Los Angeles and Washington DC, and then Chicago and Charlotte, North Carolina. The deployments have seen large numbers of illegal immigrants arrested, but have also sparked serious unrest, including rioting around federal immigration facilities.
Federal agents have been rammed with cars and, in at least one incident, shot at.
Sources told Reuters the New Orleans deployment would be closely modelled on the operation in Charlotte, which was led by Border Patrol’s commander Gregory Bovino.
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said she welcomed the deployment, but added that her department would not take part in the operation.
Last week, it was revealed that immigration enforcement in Charlotte had caused 30,000 students to be absent from school, due to fears they and their families might be swept up for deportation.
That number equates to more than 20% of the total school population of 140,000.
Some elementary schools have reported that more than half of all students are missing.
