Nationwide ICE Crackdown Nets 91 Illegal-Immigrant Arrests in Houston (Houston Press)

Nationwide ICE Crackdown Nets 91 Illegal-Immigrant Arrests in Houston
By Richard Connelly Tue., Jun. 21 2011 at 12:01 PM

The federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced today that more than 2,400 criminal illegal aliens or fugitives had been arrested in a nationwide crackdown last month, and 91 of them were in Houston.

"All of the criminal aliens taken into custody had prior convictions for crimes such as armed robbery, drug trafficking, child abuse, sexual crimes against minors, aggravated assault, theft, forgery and DUI," ICE spokesman Gregory Palmore said. "In total, 22 percent of the individuals ICE officers took into custody were immigration fugitives-convicted criminal aliens with outstanding orders of deportation who had failed to leave the country."

"The results of this operation underscore ICE's ongoing focus on arresting those convicted criminal aliens who prey upon our communities, and tracking down fugitives who game our nation's immigration system," said ICE Director John Morton. "This targeted enforcement operation is a direct result of excellent teamwork among law enforcement agencies who share a commitment to protect public safety."

Operation Cross Check was the name of the weeklong operation, and it included more than 500 ICE agents and officers, along with personnel from the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and state and local law enforcement partners throughout the United States.

ICE says the Houston arrestees include:

-- A 69-year-old man residing in Harris County from Mexico; convicted of kidnapping

-- A 50-year-old man residing in Houston from Colombia; convicted of indecency with a child

-- A 59-year-old man residing in Montgomery County from Mexico; convicted of indecency with a child and driving while intoxicated

-- A 47-year-old residing in Houston from Mexico; convicted of sexual abuse with a child

-- A 49-year-old man residing in Houston from Nigeria; convicted of felony fraud and forgery