Federal immigration authorities arrested [1] 822 criminal aliens and immigration violators during a weeklong operation across Southeast Texas, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced.
The large-scale enforcement action took place from August 17 to August 23 and focused on what officials described as the “worst of the worst.”
The operation targeted transnational gang members, foreign fugitives, child predators, and repeat immigration offenders.
ICE Houston arrested 822 criminal aliens, transnational gang members, child predators, foreign fugitives and other egregious immigration offenders during a weeklong operation between Aug. 17 and Aug. 23 in Southeast Texas.
Numerous law enforcement agencies assisted ICE during… pic.twitter.com/KuR9zgj3Zh [2]
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) September 10, 2025 [3]
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez said the arrests were necessary to restore public safety in communities heavily impacted by cartel-linked crime and illegal reentry.
“During the past four years, transnational gang members, foreign fugitives, and other violent criminal aliens took advantage of the crisis at our southern border to illegally enter the country,” Martinez said.
“Many of them remained in the Houston area and have gone on to wreak havoc in our local communities.”
Among those taken into custody were:
- Jorge Eliseo Torres-Soto, 30, a criminal alien and child predator from Guatemala, arrested on August 22. Torres-Soto was convicted of sexual assault of a child in October 2024.
- Manuel Ivan Castillo Estrada, 36, a three-time deported criminal alien and child predator from Mexico, arrested on August 22. Castillo was convicted of alien smuggling in 2011 and sexually assaulting a minor in February 2024.
- Francisco Eduardo Bonilla, 37, a criminal alien from El Salvador, arrested on August 22. Bonilla was convicted of sexual indecency with a minor in Harris County in February 2025.
- Lloyd Tinashe Hwehwe, 36, a convicted murderer from Zimbabwe, arrested on August 22. Hwehwe was convicted of intoxication manslaughter in 2015 and had illegally reentered the U.S. He was later convicted of a second DWI in 2024.
- Fuad Farah Ikhbeis, 57, a criminal alien from Jordan, arrested on August 22. Ikhbeis was convicted of sexual indecency with a minor in 1995.
- Carlos Vega-Ramirez, 38, a twice-deported child predator from Mexico, arrested on August 22. Vega-Ramirez has been convicted of multiple crimes including sexual indecency with a minor, enticement of a minor, DWI, fleeing police, forgery, and illegal reentry.
- Hemerlindo Antonio Ascencio-Merino, 53, a foreign fugitive from El Salvador, arrested on August 17. Ascencio-Merino is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and entered the U.S. in 2022 to evade prosecution.
- William Alexander Telles Amaya, 35, from El Salvador, arrested on August 18. Amaya has been convicted three times for child sex offenses, including aggravated sexual assault of a child in 2006, failure to register as a sex offender in 2015, and sexual indecency with a minor in July 2025.
- Cruz Leandro Martinez Leiva, 25, an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, arrested on August 20. Martinez has prior convictions for robbery and armed carjacking in 2018.
- Alejandro Perez Miramontes, 54, a 12-time deported criminal alien from Mexico, arrested on August 20. Perez has been convicted repeatedly for illegal entry and reentry, as well as robbery, larceny, burglary, trespassing, and evading arrest.
According to ICE, the 822 arrests included:
- 5 transnational gang members
- 7 child predators
- 3 individuals convicted of homicide-related offenses
- 330 with prior removal orders
- 112 who had illegally reentered the U.S. after deportation
The operation was part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to restore law and order through aggressive immigration enforcement and the dismantling of sanctuary policies.
ICE carried out the arrests with assistance from multiple agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Diplomatic Security Service, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
MASSIVE deportation operation conducted by ICE Houston, arresting 800+ criminals.
Among those arrested were convicted murderers, gang members, child predators, and foreign fugitives.
ICE targets the worst of the worst. pic.twitter.com/r45LdBTNKG [4]
— Rep. Wesley Hunt Press Office (@RepWPH) September 10, 2025 [5]
Officials said the coordinated effort underscores a renewed commitment to proactive enforcement, intelligence sharing, and protection of communities, particularly in areas such as Houston where illegal immigration and cartel-related activity have surged in recent years.
ICE noted that additional operations are expected as part of ongoing efforts to identify, apprehend, and remove dangerous criminal aliens from the United States.