ICE arrests, marijuana facility raid, & federal funding | Border Watch with Jonathan Mejia
FOX 26's Jonathan Mejia Border Watch with Jonathan Mejia newsletter
HOUSTON - Border watchers,
There’s a lot going on this week in the immigration space, including an ICE raid at a marijuana facility in California, a major funding surge for ICE, and an update on undocumented immigrants with criminal background arrested in the Houston-area.
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First, let’s discuss those arrests. ICE arrested 1,361 immigrants in the Houston-area in the month of June who had criminal convictions or were charged with a criminal offense. ICE leaders say they were arrested as part of routine immigration enforcement activities. Among them, 32 people convicted of child sex offenses and nine convicted of homicide-related offenses.
ICE is currently holding 58,000 individuals in its detention system. Around 46% don’t have criminal charges, but do face civil immigration charges, according to internal government data. The "Big Beautiful Bill" gave ICE an unprecedented amount of money to expand President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. The federal agency received $45 billion for detention sites and $30 billion for arrest and deportation efforts. The money allocated amounts to the largest infusion of funds Congress has given the federal government for immigration enforcement.
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In a joint operation between ICE and CBP, the agencies arrested at least 361 undocumented immigrants at a marijuana grow site in California. They also encountered 14 migrant children who they believe could have been victims of potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking. Some of those arrested had been convicted of kidnapping, attempted rape and attempted child molestation.