ICE operation in Spring neighborhood ends with arrest, agency says
Spring ICE operation ends with arrest
Neighbors in a Spring neighborhood woke up to an ICE operation that led to an arrest on Wednesday. FOX 26's Leslie DelasBour shares details from authorities and residents.
HOUSTON - ICE has released new details about a targeted enforcement operation that brought a heavy law enforcement presence to a Spring neighborhood Tuesday morning.
ICE operation in Spring neighborhood
What we know:
The operation happened at a home in the Chancel subdivision off T.C. Jester near Spring Cypress.
ICE says agents arrested Jorge Erick Lopez De La Pena, who the agency identified as a Mexican national. According to ICE, Lopez De La Pena has prior convictions for assaulting a family member and interfering with an emergency request for assistance.
ICE also says Lopez De La Pena was previously ordered to be removed from the United States. He was allegedly removed twice and reentered the country illegally after each removal.
What we don't know:
Other details about Pena's arrest are not available.
Details from neighbors
What they're saying:
Several neighbors on Saint Winfred say they woke up around 8 a.m. to sirens and officers giving commands to someone inside the home.
One neighbor told FOX 26 she heard officers say, "Come out with your hands up" in both English and Spanish. That neighbor says the man eventually walked out of the home with his hands up and was taken into custody.
She also described seeing Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies and federal agents in the area, with some officers wearing masks.
Another neighbor, who did not want to appear on camera, told FOX 26 the people who lived at the home appeared to be nice and mostly kept to themselves.
ICE says Lopez De La Pena remains in custody pending removal.
DHS response
The other side:
"On July 8, ICE arrested Jorge Erick Lopez De La Pena, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico, during a targeted enforcement operation in Spring, Texas. His criminal history includes convictions for assaulting a family member and interfering with an emergency request for assistance.
He entered the country on November 6, 2009, through Brownsville, Texas on a B2 visa, allowing him to remain in the country for one month. In violation of our nation’s laws, he overstayed his visa. ICE encountered him in the Harris County Jail on September 28, 2011, and was taken into ICE custody. On January 23, 2012, a Justice Department immigration judge ordered him removed, and he was removed from the United States on February 24, 2012. He chose to commit a felony by illegally reentering the country in June 2012. On August 10, 2020, ICE arrested him, and he was removed from the country again on August 19, 2020. He chose to commit a felony by illegally reentering the country again. He has received due process and will remain in ICE custody pending removal.
Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S."
The Source: ICE, DHS and neighbors near the scene.