Houston ICE arrests 214 immigrants since February for child sex offenses

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(Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)

HOUSTON - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 214 immigrants in the Houston area over the past six months who were charged with or convicted of child sex offenses, the agency announced Monday. This figure surpasses the total number of such arrests made by the Houston field office during the entire 2024 fiscal year, which stood at 211.

ICE officials attribute the increase to a "whole-of-government approach" implemented under the current administration. This strategy led to the creation of multi-agency targeting teams that focus on "the worst of the worst" criminal immigrants for arrest and removal.

What they're saying:

"Bringing together the resources and expertise of the entire federal law enforcement community to confront the overwhelming surge of illegal immigration that we saw over the past four years has resulted in the arrest and removal of historic numbers of violent criminal aliens, transnational gang members and child sex offenders," said Paul McBride, acting Field Office Director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston. "While we still have a long way to go to truly get this crisis under control, the strides we have made in just six months to make our local communities safer are substantial."

Dig deeper:

Among those arrested by the ICE ERO Houston Field Office in the past six months were:

• Jesus Gutierrez Mireles, 67, a three-time deported Mexican national, was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child and driving while intoxicated. He was arrested March 28 and removed to Mexico on April 4.
• Jorge Zebra, 48, a Mexican national, was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a minor and sexual indecency with a minor. He was arrested March 21 and removed to Mexico on March 24.
• Manuel Antonio Castro-Juarez, 37, a twice-deported Salvadoran national, convicted of sexual assault of a minor and two counts of illegal reentry. He was arrested July 18 and remains in ICE custody pending his third removal to El Salvador.
• Jose Guadalupe Meza, 40, a four-time deported Mexican national, convicted of theft and sexual assault of a child. He was arrested June 24 and removed to Mexico on June 25.
• Sergio Rolando Galvan Guerrero, 45, a three-time deported Mexican national, was convicted of DWI and aggravated sexual assault of a child. He was arrested July 12 and removed to Mexico on July 14.

What you can do:

The public can report crimes and suspicious activity by calling 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or by completing an online tip form.