Nearly 1000 illegals were either arrested or deported during a week-long series of raids in Houston, Texas by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
From 4 May to 10 May, officers from the House Enforcement and Removal Operations office arrested 411 illegal aliens, many of whom were also convicted criminals, including a murderer, a drug dealer and a pedophile.
Enforcement and Removal Operations officers also aided in the deportation of 528 illegals during that same period.
“In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members, and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to enter the U.S. illegally,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said in a written statement.
“After illegally entering the country, these violent criminal aliens have infiltrated our local communities and reigned terror on law-abiding residents, leaving countless innocent victims in their wake.”
The operations were coordinated with the local branch of the FBI and Customs and Border Patrol, which provided air support.
In recent days, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested help from tens of thousands of National Guardsmen as it seeks to intensify President Trump’s domestic deportation program.
The DHS has asked for 20,000 National Guardsmen “to help carry out the President’s mandate from the American people to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens,” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman, confirmed.
“The Department of Homeland Security will use every tool and resource available to get criminal illegal aliens including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and other violent criminals out of our country. The safety of American citizens comes first,” she said.
President Trump was elected on a promise to carry out the “largest mass deportation operation in American history.”
Earlier this month, the President issued an Executive Order instructing Secretary Noem to “increase the enforcement and removal operations force of the Department of Homeland Security by no less than 20,000 officers in order to conduct an intensive campaign to remove illegal aliens who have failed to depart voluntarily.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who has used National Guard troops to aid immigration enforcement in his state, praised the move.
“DHS requests 20,000 National Guard troops to help with mass deportations. Texas is in. Let’s get this done,” Abbott, wrote on X.