ICE Houston Arrests 822 Criminal Aliens in Weeklong Sweep—Gang Members, Child Predators Among Those Nabbed

HOUSTON, Texas — Federal immigration authorities arrested 822 criminal aliens and immigration violators in a sweeping weeklong operation across Southeast Texas. The operation targeted violent offenders to restore public safety to communities long plagued by cartel-linked crime and illegal reentry.

The enforcement surge, conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between August 17 and August 23, focused on what officials described as the “worst of the worst.” These included transnational gang members, child predators, foreign fugitives, and repeat immigration offenders.

“During the past four years, transnational gang members, foreign fugitives, and other violent criminal aliens took advantage of the crisis at our southern border to illegally enter the country,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez. “Many of them remained in the Houston area and have gone on to wreak havoc in our local communities.”

ICE officials report that among the criminal aliens arrested were:

• Jorge Eliseo Torres-Soto, a 30-year-old criminal alien and child predator from Guatemala, arrested by ICE Aug. 22. Torres-Soto was convicted of sexual assault of a child in October 2024.
• Manuel Ivan Castillo Estrada, a 36-year-old, three-time deported criminal alien and child predator from Mexico, arrested by ICE Aug. 22. Castillo was convicted of alien smuggling in November 2011 and sexually assaulting a minor in February 2024.
• Francisco Eduardo Bonilla, a 37-year-old criminal alien and child predator from El Salvador, arrested by ICE Aug. 22. Bonilla was convicted of sexual indecency with a minor in Harris County in February 2025.
• Lloyd Tinashe Hwehwe, a 36-year-old criminal alien and convicted murderer from Zimbabwe, arrested by ICE Aug. 22. Hwehwe was convicted of driving while intoxicated and intoxication manslaughter in 2015 and illegally reentered the U.S. after being deported. He was convicted of a second DWI in 2024.
• Fuad Farah Ikhbeis, a 57-year-old criminal alien and child predator from Jordan, arrested by ICE Aug. 22. Ikhbeis was convicted of sexual indecency with a minor in 1995.
• Carlos Vega-Ramirez, a 38-year-old criminal alien and twice-deported child predator from Mexico, arrested by ICE Aug. 22. Vega-Ramirez has been convicted of sexual indecency with a minor, enticement of a minor for indecent purposes, DWI, fleeing police, forgery and illegal reentry.
• Hemerlindo Antonio Ascencio-Merino, a 53-year-old foreign fugitive from El Salvador, arrested by ICE Aug. 17. Ascencio-Merino is wanted in El Salvador for aggravated homicide and illegally entered the U.S. in 2022 in an attempt to evade prosecution.
• William Alexander Telles Amaya, a 35-year-old criminal alien and habitual child predator from El Salvador arrested by ICE Aug. 18. Amaya has been convicted three times for child sex offenses, including aggravated sexual assault of a child in April 2006, failure to register as a sex offender in May 2015, and sexual indecency with a minor in July 2025.
• Cruz Leandro Martinez Leiva, a 25-year-old criminal alien and MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, arrested by ICE Aug. 20. Martinez has been convicted of robbery and armed carjacking in October 2018.
• Alejandro Perez Miramontes, a 54-year-old 12-time deported criminal alien from Mexico, arrested by ICE Aug. 20. Perez has been convicted eight times for illegal reentry, four times for illegal entry, twice each for robbery, larceny and burglary, and once each for trespassing and evading arrest.

The arrests of the 822 criminal aliens included the following:

• 5 transnational gang members
• 7 child predators
• 3 criminal aliens convicted of homicide-related offenses
• 330 previously ordered removed from the U.S.
• 112 deported and illegally reentered at least once

The operation was part of President Donald Trump’s broader initiative to restore law and order nationwide by cracking down on criminal aliens and dismantling sanctuary policies that shield them from removal.

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The arrests were made possible through coordinated efforts between ICE and multiple federal and state law enforcement agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the DEA, ATF, Diplomatic Security Service, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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Officials say the operation reflects a renewed commitment to proactive enforcement, intelligence sharing, and community protection — especially in areas like Houston, where illegal immigration and cartel activity have surged in recent years.