EXCLUSIVE: ICE Houston takes down 3 felon non-citizens; FOX 26 rides along with team Alpha
HOUSTON - Fugitive operations officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston Field Office located and arrested three felon non-citizens from around the Houston area Thursday.
FOX 26 went on an exclusive ride-along with one of the four fugitive operation teams, team Alpha.
These teams aren’t structured to look for and arrest just any non-citizen walking the street. They specifically target those who are convicted or charged with serious crimes.
"We know who we're going after, we do target enforcement, and we're going after criminals," said John Linscott, Assistant Field Officer Director ICE Houston. "We want to get rid of the worst of the worst, the people you want our of your neighborhoods."
It’s not a rarity for a violent offender to walk on bond in Houston, FOX 26 has brought you multiple reports of this happening. So many, we have an exclusive series dedicated to the topic.
Linscott says that’s what sets their operations apart; these suspects who are convicted of crimes don’t have a chance to bond out.
"With us, we can take someone out of the community - remove them from the country permanently - and we know that community is a lot safer, and that person is not coming back," he said.
Team Alpha began their day early on the west side of Houston around the 14000 block of Westheimer to hold a brief on their target.
"Let’s spread out around the complex and keep our eyes up," Deportation Officer Walker said to the team.
Alpha had been surveilling the area for days, watching and documenting the moves of Alexander Paredes Padilla.
Their efforts paid off; he was one of the three non-citizens put in cuffs during these apprehensions.
The Convicts
Different teams arrested Henry Alexander Paredes Padilla in West Houston, Shakespear Ngirmekur in Humble, and Kelia Alanis Mata in Freeport.
Padilla is a 44-year-old Honduran national who has illegally entered the United States on at least three occasions, according to ICE. They say he was previously deported to Honduras in January 2002 and July 2010. They say while in the U.S. illegally, Paredes has been convicted of several criminal offenses: including failure to stop and give information, evading arrest in a motor vehicle, assault of a peace officer, and driving while intoxicated. Paredes was taken to the ICE Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, and his prior order of removal was reinstated.
Mata, is a 41-year-old previously deported Mexican national who has illegally entered the United States on at least two occasions, according to ICE. They say on March 8, 2007, the U.S. Border Patrol found her at the Hidalgo County Jail following her drug trafficking arrest and an immigration detainer was lodged with the jail. On July 17, 2007, the Hidalgo County Jail transferred Alanis Mata into the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol following her conviction for possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance (cocaine trafficking), according to ICE. They say U.S. Border Patrol administratively ordered her to be removed from the U.S. to Mexico. They say sometime after, Mata illegally reentered the United States. ICE says she was taken to the ICE Montgomery Processing Center and her prior order of removal was reinstated. They’ll also forward her case for potential prosecution for illegal reentry.
Shakespear Ngirmekur is a 46-year-old citizen of Palau. He was admitted into the United States as a non-immigrant in March 2010, but failed to depart, according to ICE. They say while in the U.S., Ngirmekur has been convicted of multiple criminal offenses, including gross sexual imposition of a minor and failure to report a change of address as a child sex offender. They say he was taken to the ICE Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, where he will remain pending disposition of his immigration proceedings.
ICE Houston says there was a fourth arrest made on Thursday, but due to privacy rules, details on the fourth arrest cannot be released.
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The Impact
Nearly 90% of the non-citizens ERO arrests are either convicted of or accused of a crime, according to ICE’s data.
ICE data shows through the first three quarters of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, ERO Houston arrested 7,211 illegally present non-citizens. Of those arrests, 4,995, or 69%, had at least one criminal conviction. 1,340, or 19% had pending criminal charges.
"We far exceeding the national average," said Linscott.
ICE data shows that national average is closer to 70%.
Data shows through the first three quarters of FY2024, ICE ERO arrested 85,822 illegally present non-citizens nationally. Of those, 42,193 or 49%, had at least one criminal conviction and 16,960, or 20% had pending criminal charges.
How ERO Operates in Houston
ERO Houston currently has four active fugitive operations teams that are responsible for targeting and arresting at-large removable non-citizens, according to ICE. They say they specifically target those who present a danger to public safety, national security, or border security.
They say the teams conduct intelligence-driven investigations to locate fugitive non-citizens, confirm their identity, and remove them from the community in the safest manner possible.
"The men and women that do this job live in the community as well," said Linscott. "They all take pride in what they’re doing."