In the first six months of the current administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston arrested 214 individuals identified as criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of sex offenses involving minors. This figure surpasses the total number of similar arrests made by the Houston field office during all of fiscal year 2024, when 211 such individuals were taken into custody.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), out of those arrested, 179 had received final orders of removal from an immigration judge. Of these, 141 have already been deported from the United States.
“Thanks to ICE Houston, there are 214 less pedophiles on our streets. These are the type of perverted predators ICE is targeting and removing from our country,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow these sickos to prey on children in the U.S. Our message to these depraved criminals is clear: LEAVE NOW. If you don’t, we will hunt you down and deport you.”
Among those arrested was Gabriel Julio Velazquez Lopez, a 25-year-old Mexican national who had entered the United States illegally four times since 2016. He was convicted of sexual assault of a child and assault with intent to rape before being detained by ICE on April 8th and deported two days later.
Another case involved Roberto Antonio Caballero-Garcia, a 31-year-old from El Salvador who was convicted in Dallas County for three counts of sexual assault of a child in 2017 and given ten years deferred adjudication. He was deported by ICE on May 5, 2025.
Carlos Alfredo Lopez Espinal, aged 45 and also from El Salvador, was convicted for indecency with a minor in March this year before being apprehended by ICE in July.
Meliton Gonzalez, a Mexican national aged 76 who has been unlawfully present in the U.S. since 1976, was convicted in Texas for child sexual assault in 2015 and sentenced to ten years; he was removed from the country following his release from prison last month.
Mario Ramirez Martinez, age 71 and also from Mexico, served ten years after being convicted on two counts of sexual assault against a child in Hidalgo County, Texas; he was arrested by ICE and deported earlier this June.
Members of the public are encouraged to report crimes or suspicious activity related to immigration enforcement by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or using an online tip form provided by authorities.
