During a comprehensive six-month initiative, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained 214 undocumented immigrants in the Houston region for crimes related to the sexual exploitation of minors. This number surpasses the total arrests made for the entire 2024 fiscal year, which was 211.

According to an ICE statement, every individual apprehended faced charges or had been found guilty of offenses against children. The agency credits this increase to an integrated governmental strategy implemented during the Trump administration.

Andrew Gould, a former Arizona Supreme Court Judge with experience in Yuma, a border city, informed Fox News Digital that Houston’s closeness to the southern border significantly contributes to the rise in these arrests.

Gould elaborated, “In Yuma, incidents of sex trafficking and related offenses were prevalent as perpetrators would commit a crime and then escape to a safe haven in Mexico. For a border state like Texas and a city like Houston, located relatively near the border, these kinds of arrests are not surprising to me.”

Gould said that the takedown of the hundreds of suspected criminal migrants will reverberate across the community and create a safer city.

“Criminals are rarely limited to one type of offense. Individuals who sexually exploit children may also engage in gang-related activities, narcotics trade, or financial crimes. Each time one of these offenders is apprehended, multiple community threats are mitigated.”