Immigration officers swept up 75 criminal aliens and others wanted for enforcement actions in a three-day operation in Texas and Oklahoma. The arrests included aliens with felonies including child abuse, aggravated assault, reckless conduct with a firearm, and drug trafficking.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officers began a 3-day operation on April 1 targeting immigrants with criminal records, illegal re-entrants, and fugitive aliens already subject to a deportation order by an immigration judge. The operation led to the arrests of immigrants in Abilene (5), Amarillo (1), Arlington (2), Canadian (1), Carrollton (1), Dallas (11), Denton (1), Fort Worth (1), Frisco (1), Garland (2), Lewisville (1), Lubbock (10), Muleshoe (1), Plainview (2), San Angelo (2), Slaton (1) and Tyler (7); and 25 arrests in Oklahoma: Oklahoma City (18) and Tulsa (7). Officers arrested 73 men and 2 women between the ages of 18 and 61, according to information provided to Breitbart Texas by ICE officials.
“We specifically targeted criminal aliens during this operation,” Dallas ERO Field Office Director Simona L. Flores said in a written statement. “And we improved overall public safety by removing 52 convicted criminal aliens from our streets throughout North Texas and Oklahoma. This was a focused three-day operation, but our routine operations occur daily.”
Fifty-two of the 75 arrested aliens had criminal histories. Those criminal records include convictions for aggravated assault, assault, burglary of a vehicle, child abuse by injury, dangerous drugs, delivery of cocaine, fraud, driving under the influence (DUI), drug trafficking, felony marijuana possession, illegal entry, larceny, possession of a controlled substance, and reckless conduct with a firearm. Twenty-four of the immigrants had convictions for DUI.
ICE officials provided additional information on some of these criminal aliens:
- On April 1, 2017, a 37-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested at his residence in Tulsa. On April 1, 2015, the District Court of Tulsa County convicted him of reckless conduct with a firearm. Following his most recent ICE arrest, he was served with a notice to appear and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
- On April 1, 2017, a 40-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested at his residence in Oklahoma City. In February 2017, the District Court of Oklahoma County convicted him of possession of a controlled dangerous substance with intent to distribute, to wit: cocaine. He was sentenced to 10 years (suspended). Following his most recent ICE arrest, he was served with an administrative removal order and will remain in ICE custody pending removal.
- On April 1, 2017, a 50-year-old citizen of Mexico was arrested at his residence in Plainview, Texas, by Fugitive Operations Team members and Hale County Sheriff’s Deputies. On Oct. 17, 1991, the Carson City, Nevada, District Court convicted him on two counts of selling a controlled substance; he was sentenced to five years’ incarceration on each count. On Oct. 27, 2015, the Hale County Court convicted him of DUI and sentenced him to 90 days incarceration. In June 1992, he was ordered removed by an immigration judge in Florence, Arizona, as an aggravated felon. Days later, he was removed to Mexico. He later illegally re-entered the United States. Following his most recent ICE arrest, ICE officers turned him over to the Hale County, Texas, Sheriff’s Department based on an outstanding state warrant for him for violating probation related to his DUI conviction. ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the Hale County Jail.
- On April 2, 2017, a 37-year-old a citizen of Mexico was arrested outside of a residence in El Reno, Oklahoma by Oklahoma City Fugitive Operations Team members. On April 15, 2002, the 20thCircuit Court in Collier County, Florida, convicted him of aggravated battery. He was sentenced to two years confinement (suspended). On Oct. 3, 2005, he was ordered removed by an immigration judge in El Paso, Texas; ICE officials removed him to Mexico the same day. Following his most recent ICE arrest, his original removal orders were reinstated. He will remain in ICE custody pending his removal.
- On April 3, 2017, a 36-year-old citizen of Mexico was encountered by Dallas Fugitive Operations Team members. He was convicted of DUI May 1, 2009, at the County Criminal Court No. 7 in Dallas, Texas. Following his most recent ICE arrest, he was served with a notice to appear before a federal immigration judge. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
ERO officers partnered with Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents to carry out the sweep in the Dallas Area of Operations that covers 128 counties in Texas and Oklahoma.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.