In a significant development, federal authorities detained an illegal immigrant last week in Texas, who had been wanted since 2023 for a brutal attack involving a tire iron and subsequent sexual assault. The suspect, identified as Cesar Orlando Castro Serrano from El Salvador, was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on November 10 in Katy, a suburb of Houston, according to information from the Department of Homeland Security shared with Fox News Digital.
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, expressed her outrage over the incident, stating, “This barbaric criminal attacked a 22-year-old woman in Houston, striking her in the head with a tire iron and sexually assaulting her. He then left her critically injured in a wooded area behind an apartment complex. Such a heinous predator should have never been in our country.”
Castro Serrano, wanted for two years, faced charges including aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and aggravated kidnapping. The alleged crime occurred in February 2023, leaving the community shocked and the victim in critical condition.
The arrest signifies a critical moment in the pursuit of justice for the victim and underscores the ongoing efforts of federal authorities to apprehend individuals responsible for such violent acts.
Castro Serrano had been wanted since 2023, when he was charged with aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping.
The gruesome incident allegedly took place in February 2023.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“After two years on the run, ICE law enforcement officers arrested this criminal illegal alien and turned him over to local authorities to face justice for his crimes,” said McLaughlin. “President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal illegal aliens to continue to victimize American citizens. If you come to our country illegally and victimize Americans, we will find you and arrest you. That’s a promise.”
Castro Serrano entered the United States illegally in 2015 under the Obama administration. An immigration judge ordered him deported the following year.
Castro Serrano was handed over to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office to face the charges against him. ICE has filed a detainer against him to be notified before he is released so he can be put in federal custody.
