Federal authorities in Houston reported a significant spike in the apprehension of criminal undocumented immigrants tied to sex crimes against children during the first year of President Trump’s return to office. Data released by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston shows that 414 individuals charged with or convicted of child sex offenses were taken into custody over the last year.
This figure represents a nearly 100% increase compared to the final year of the Biden administration, when the same office recorded 211 such arrests.
Beyond the 761 specific child sex offenses attributed to this year’s group of active cases, those arrested were also linked to 525 additional crimes, including homicide, robbery, and assault.
“While elected officials and media pundits across the country were zealously trying to manipulate the American public with fake news stories about ICE’s public safety mission, the brave men and women of ICE were quietly going about their business to arrest and remove more than 400 dangerous child predators from our local communities,” said Gabriel Martinez, acting Field Office Director for ICE ERO Houston. “Thanks to their tireless efforts, parents across Southeast Texas can sleep a little better tonight knowing that these pedophiles and child rapists are no longer a threat to their children.”
The agency highlighted several specific cases involving repeat offenders and those with violent histories. Among them was Alex Samuel Lara Diaz, a 35-year-old from Honduras convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor and wanted for homicide in his home country.
He was deported in December 2025. Another individual, Juan Leonardo Garcia Ibarra, a 48-year-old from Mexico, had reportedly reentered the U.S. 12 times prior to his April 2025 arrest for sexual indecency with a child and other felonies.
Other notable arrests included Andrew Mark Watson, a 38-year-old from the United Kingdom convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material, and Jesus Gutierrez Mireles, a 68-year-old three-time deportee from Mexico convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Both Watson and another suspect, Luis Mario Monsalve Chaux of Colombia, remain in federal custody pending the outcome of their immigration proceedings.
The surge in enforcement involved collaboration between ICE and several federal partners, including the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, alongside various state and local agencies.
The Houston field office maintains jurisdiction over 58 counties across Southeast Texas, covering the region from Beaumont to Corpus Christi and inland toward Waco.
Officials continue to encourage the public to report suspicious activity or crimes via the DHS tip line at 866-347-2423.
READ: Toddler’s Brutal Beating Death Leads To ICE Detainer Against Uncle In Florida
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