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ICE arrests 822 'criminal aliens, convicted murderers and child predators' in Houston

The operation, according to the official statement, was part of the Trump Administration's focus on restoring public safety in local communities across the country by targeting the "worst of the worst" criminal aliens and others who violate federal immigration laws.

ICE agents in a file image.

ICE agents in a file image.AFP.

Diane Hernández
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Diane Hernández

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston arrested 822 aliens it categorized as criminals, transnational gang members, child predators, alien fugitives and other serious immigration violators during a weeklong operation from Aug. 17 to 23 that focused on improving public safety in Southeast Texas.

The operation, according to the official statement, was part of the Trump Administration's focus on restoring public safety in local communities across the country by targeting the "worst of the worst" criminal aliens and others who violate federal immigration laws.

"Over the past four years, transnational gang members, alien fugitives and other violent criminal aliens took advantage of the crisis at our southern border to illegally enter the country."Gabriel Martinez, acting director of ICE's Detention and Removal Operations Field Office.

The executive assured that many of the undocumented immigrants have remained in the Houston area and "have sown chaos in our local communities."

Among the 822 irregular immigrants arrested are five transnational gang members, seven child predators and three criminal aliens convicted of homicide, Martinez said.

Among the criminal aliens arrested were:

  • Jorge Eliseo Torres-Soto, a 30-year-old criminal alien and child predator of Guatemalan origin, arrested by ICE on Aug. 22. Torres-Soto was convicted of sexual assault of a minor in October 2024.
  • Manuel Ivan Castillo Estrada, 36, three-time deportee, criminal alien and child predator from Mexico, was arrested by ICE on Aug. 22. Castillo was convicted of immigrant smuggling in November 2011 and sexual assault of a minor in February 2024.
  • Francisco Eduardo Bonilla, a 37-year-old criminal alien and child predator from El Salvador, arrested by ICE on Aug. 22. Bonilla was convicted of sexual indecency with a minor in Harris County in February 2025.
  • Lloyd Tinashe Hwehwe, 36, a criminal alien and convicted murderer from Zimbabwe, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Aug. 22. Hwehwe was convicted of drunk driving and involuntary manslaughter in 2015 and illegally re-entered the United States after being deported. He was convicted for a DUI for a second time in 2024.
  • Fuad Farah Ikhbeis, a 57-year-old criminal alien and child predator from Jordan, arrested by ICE on Aug. 22. Ikhbeis was convicted of sexual indecency with a minor in 1995.
  • Carlos Vega-Ramirez, a 38-year-old criminal alien and child predator twice deported from Mexico, was arrested by ICE on Aug. 22. Vega-Ramirez has been convicted of sexual indecency with a minor, enticing a minor for indecent purposes, driving under the influence of alcohol (DWI), fleeing law enforcement, forgery and illegal re-entry into the country.
  • Hemerlindo Antonio Ascencio-Merino, a 53-year-old alien fugitive from El Salvador, arrested by ICE on Aug. 17. Ascencio-Merino is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated murder and illegally entered the United States in 2022 in an attempt to evade prosecution.
  • William Alexander Telles Amaya, a 35-year-old criminal alien and regular child predator from El Salvador, was arrested by ICE on Aug. 18. Amaya has been convicted three times of sex crimes against minors, including aggravated sexual assault of a minor in April 2006, failure to register as a sex offender in May 2015 and sexual abuse against a minor in July 2025.
  • Cruz Leandro Martinez Leiva, a 25-year-old criminal alien and Salvadoran MS-13 gang member, arrested by ICE on Aug. 20. Martinez was convicted of robbery and armed carjacking in October 2018.
  • Alejandro Perez Miramontes, a 54-year-old criminal alien, 12-time deportee from Mexico, arrested by ICE on Aug. 20. Perez has been convicted eight times for illegal reentry, four times for illegal entry, twice for burglary, theft and breaking and entering, and once for breaking and entering and evading arrest.

More than 300 with expulsion orders

330 of the aliens arrested during the operation had previously received U.S. removal orders and approximately 112 had been deported and had illegally re-entered the country at least once.

Numerous law enforcement agencies assisted ICE during the week-long operation, including Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, ATF, Diplomatic Security Service, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Texas Department of Public Safety.

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