HARLINGEN, TEXAS — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrest of 72 illegal immigrants — including 61 criminal aliens and two documented gang members — during a week-long multi-agency operation in the Rio Grande Valley.
The targeted enforcement action, conducted from March 16 to 22, aimed to bolster public safety and national security, according to ICE officials. Arrests included individuals charged or convicted of violent crimes, sex offenses, drug trafficking, firearms violations, and immigration-related felonies.
Key Points:
- ICE arrested 72 illegal immigrants, including 61 with criminal convictions and two gang members.
- Offenses included homicide, aggravated assault, sex crimes against minors, drug and firearms violations.
- The operation was part of ongoing ICE efforts to remove individuals deemed threats to public safety.
Among those apprehended were individuals charged or convicted of homicide, aggravated assault, and domestic violence. ICE also identified three sex offenders, including one convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor and another for possession of child pornography.
Other arrests involved eight individuals for drug-related offenses, four for burglary or theft, seven for driving while intoxicated, and seven for alien smuggling. Fourteen were charged or convicted under felony immigration statute 8 USC 1326, and thirteen under 8 USC 1325.
“The results of this operation are a clear indication of ICE’s commitment… by locating, arresting and ultimately removing at-large criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety,” said Robert Cerna, acting Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Harlingen.
Craig S. Larrabee, Special Agent in Charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations in San Antonio, emphasized the operation’s impact on community safety in South Texas.