ICE apprehended 356 gang members in the Houston area during the first six months of the Trump administration. The arrested individuals collectively had over 1,400 illegal entries into the United States and faced roughly 1,700 criminal convictions, including serious offenses such as homicide, sexual assault, and child exploitation.

ICE conducted an enforcement operation in Southeast Houston on August 5, 2025, resulting in the arrest of 42 individuals in the country illegally. The operation targeted the "worst of the worst" criminal aliens, including individuals with convictions for assault, forgery, and domestic violence. It was conducted in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, and state and local law enforcement agencies.

ICE arrested six individuals in the Houston area during late July 2025 who collectively had 42 illegal border crossings and 48 criminal convictions. The arrests targeted individuals with serious criminal histories including drug trafficking, burglary, assault, and DWI offenses.

ICE deported Yimi Samario Sevilla Leon, a 30-year-old alleged leader of an "El Mango" faction of the 18th Street gang, to Honduras on August 11, 2025. Sevilla and 24 gang members are wanted in Honduras for crimes including armed robbery, kidnapping, and murder. He had illegally entered the U.S. in December 2023 near Eagle Pass and was arrested by ICE in Houston in March 2025 after Honduran authorities identified him as a fugitive.

ICE San Antonio lodged an immigration detainer against Jose Fredi Rivera-Mejia, 44, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras who was arrested and charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon — his third deportation from the United States. On Aug. 10, Rivera-Mejia produced a handgun and shot multiple victims during a late-night disturbance, then fled the scene with three children before being apprehended by San Antonio Police Department officers. Two other victims remained in critical condition following the shooting.

ICE lodged an arrest detainer against Sameh Mohamad Chami, 49, an illegal immigrant from Lebanon who was arrested on Aug. 6 after allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman while working as an Uber driver in the Friendswood, Texas area. The 21-year-old victim fell asleep in the backseat and reportedly woke up in the front seat of Chami's car near a school with her shorts unbuttoned at approximately 3 a.m. Chami, who allegedly overstayed his visa, was charged with aggravated kidnapping.

The Houston ICE Field Office has arrested 214 illegal migrants charged or convicted of a sex offense involving a minor in the first months of the Trump Administration — already surpassing the 211 arrested during all of fiscal year 2024. Of the 214 criminal illegal immigrants arrested, 179 had final orders of removal from an immigration judge, and 141 have already been removed from the country.

ICE lodged a detainer on Jose Maldonado-Zavala, a 60-year-old previously deported illegal migrant from Honduras, after he was charged with kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in his Pasadena, Texas apartment complex on July 2. Investigators said Maldonado-Zavala lured the victim by pretending her air conditioner was leaking into his apartment, then grabbed and dragged her inside before sexually assaulting her. The victim fought off the suspect and escaped.

Mario Sandoval, a 27-year-old Houston resident and National Guard member deployed to South Texas to help secure the border, was convicted on July 21 of conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens into the United States following a one-day trial in federal court in Corpus Christi. The investigation was conducted jointly by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Corpus Christi, the DOD's Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility. Sandoval faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.

Houston Police Department detectives arrested three illegal aliens from El Salvador — Abner Ruiz, Carlos Gomez, and Erick Menjivar — for online solicitation of a minor as part of an ongoing sting operation targeting dating apps. The three men allegedly used the dating app Jaumo to communicate with who they believed were girls aged 14 to 16. One of the men also faces charges of fleeing in a vehicle and failure to stop and render aid after crashing into a gate and injuring a pedestrian.