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In the first half-year of the Trump administration, ICE agents in Houston detained over 350 illegal alien gang members. These offenders, known for their violent acts, collectively held convictions for almost 1,700 crimes.
ICE reports reveal that this group of foreign gang affiliates entered the U.S. without permission 1,434 times. Notably, one individual alone entered illegally 40 times, as detailed by the Houston Enforcement and Removal Operations team. Among those apprehended were convicted criminals including murderers, child predators, thieves, and arsonists.
The arrests near Texas’s largest city underscore the agency’s efforts to prioritize capturing and deporting the most dangerous criminal aliens. ICE has been publicizing the apprehension of violent offenders through social media and press releases to highlight these significant captures.
Gabriel Martinez, Acting Field Office Director for Houston ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, remarked on these arrests, stating, “Despite other efforts to undermine our mission, the dedicated ICE officers put themselves at risk every day to detain violent gang members, foreign fugitives, and perilous criminal aliens.”
Martinez stressed the threat posed by these gang members, citing, “In recent years in Houston, gang members have been involved in heinous acts, such as the brutal rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl heading to the store. Our officers know their work can avert such tragedies in the future, and they won’t stop until these threats are eliminated.”
Among the gang members arrested by ICE in the Houston area over the past six months were:
- Milton Alexander Magana Fuentes, a 31-year-old child predator and Paisas gang member from El Salvador, arrested July 2. He has illegally entered the U.S. four times. While illegally in the U.S., Magana Fuentes has been convicted of sexual indecency with a child, failure to register as a sex offender, illegal reentry and illegal entry.
- Ronald Alberto Rivas-Aguilar, a 28-year-old MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, arrested July 21. He illegally entered the U.S. twice and has been convicted of homicide.
- Humberto Romero Avila, a 45-year-old Paisas gang member from Mexico, arrested Jan. 31. He illegally entered the U.S. 10 times. On Feb. 13, ICE deported Romero Avila to Mexico, where he was wanted for homicide. While he was in the U.S., Romero Avila was convicted of four DWIs, as well as larceny, illegal reentry and illegal entry.
- Jonathan Josue Valle-Moralez, a 31-year-old previously deported MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, arrested Feb. 24. He’s been convicted of unlawful possession of a firearm. On March 6, ICE transferred Valle-Moralez into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to be prosecuted for homicide.
- Jose Angel Martinez, a 39-year-old child predator and Paisas gang member from Mexico, arrested May 7. He illegally entered the U.S. five times and has been convicted of sexual indecency with a minor, aggravated assault of a family member, resisting arrest, burglary, drug possession and obstructing police.
- Gerardo Ortega-Contreras, 43-year-old previously deported Tango Blast gang member from Mexico, arrested June 26. He has been convicted five times for resisting/evading arrest, four times for DWI, three times each for obstructing an investigation and burglary; twice for hit-and-run, and once each for drug possession, assault and larceny.
- Jose Pizano-Tierrablanca, a 33-year-old Surenos-13 gang member from Mexico, arrested April 8. He illegally entered the U.S. four times and has been convicted of sexual indecency with a minor and illegal entry.
- Samuel Valenzuela Martinez, a 55-year-old Paisas gang member from Mexico, arrested July 7. He illegally entered the U.S. five times and has been convicted six times for DWI, three times each for assault and illegal entry, and once each for hit-and-run, larceny, cruelty toward a child, evading arrest, fraud and illegal reentry.
The individuals removed from Houston’s streets belonged to over 40 different criminal groups. This included 39 members of MS-13, 25 from the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua, 159 from the Paisas, 12 Surenos-13 members, and 26 from Tango Blast. The group also consisted of individuals linked to prominent gangs like the Latin Kings and the 15th Street gang.
According to ICE, the 1,685 criminal convictions were for a wide variety of offenses, including abduction, homicide, sexual assault, sexual assault of a child, promotion of child pornography, aggravated assault, domestic violence, burglary, alien smuggling, sex trafficking, organized crime, drug trafficking, drug possession, arson, trespassing, unlawful possession of a firearm, illegal entry, illegal reentry, fraud, escape and evading arrest.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
