Federal immigration authorities arrested more than 4,100 people during a coordinated statewide enforcement operation, including previously deported individuals and foreign nationals with criminal histories involving violent offenses, human smuggling and cartel activity.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 4,170 illegal immigrants across Texas during a 10-day operation targeting immigration violators and individuals with criminal records, including suspects linked to murder, sexual assault, drunken driving and human smuggling, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday, Oct. 29.
The operation, designated Lone Star Mission, ran from Oct. 19 through Oct. 29 and involved ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations offices in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and Harlingen. Federal officers worked alongside state and local law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend individuals subject to immigration enforcement.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the results during a news conference in Dallas, describing the coordinated operation as a major enforcement effort that averaged more than 400 arrests per day.
“Lone Star Mission has been an incredible success, with the brave patriots of ICE arresting more than 4,100 illegal aliens across the state of Texas in ten days,” Mullin said.
“Thanks to Texas law enforcement and our federal partners, over the course of this operation, we arrested murderers, sexual assailants, drunk drivers, and alien smugglers. This operation shows exactly how important our state and local partnerships are for protecting American communities. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been fully unleashed to go after criminal illegal aliens and make America safe again.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s Oct. 29 announcement, several of those arrested had previously been deported or convicted of serious criminal offenses. The department identified five individuals whose criminal histories included capital murder allegations, sexual assault convictions, immigration violations and involvement in organized smuggling networks.
Among them was Javier Hernandez Alcon, a Mexican national arrested in Liberty, Texas, on Oct. 20. DHS said Hernandez Alcon had been deported from the United States twice before his latest arrest. His criminal history includes convictions for residential burglary involving forced entry and illegal reentry, along with a previous arrest on a capital murder allegation.
ICE also arrested Orlando Aguilar, a Mexican national, in Dallas on Oct. 24. Aguilar’s criminal record includes convictions for felony intoxication assault involving a vehicle that caused serious bodily injury and driving while intoxicated.
In Houston, federal officers arrested Ramon Antonio Martinez, a Honduran national, on Oct. 23. According to DHS, Martinez is wanted in Honduras in connection with the alleged killing of a Honduran man involving two additional suspects.
Another Mexican national, Gerardo Daniel Rivera-Rivera, was arrested in Zapata County on Oct. 24. Immigration authorities said Rivera-Rivera had previous convictions for felony sexual assault and illegal reentry into the United States.
In El Paso, ICE apprehended Victor Manuel Macias-Castro on Oct. 22. DHS identified Macias-Castro as a Mexican national associated with the La Línea cartel, a criminal organization operating along the U.S.-Mexico border. His criminal record includes convictions for conspiracy to enter, transport or harbor illegal immigrants, illegal entry and illegal reentry.
The five arrests were among the cases highlighted by DHS to demonstrate the operation’s focus on individuals with serious criminal records and prior immigration violations.
Mullin said the enforcement initiative benefited from cooperation between federal immigration personnel and Texas law enforcement agencies, allowing officers to locate individuals who had previously been difficult to apprehend.
According to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth’s coverage of the announcement, 879 arrests occurred in North Texas alone. The remaining arrests were distributed across other regions covered by the five participating ICE field offices.
Mullin said more than 60% of those arrested had criminal histories, while approximately 40% were individuals without separate criminal records who were encountered during enforcement actions.
The secretary described those additional apprehensions as collateral arrests, explaining that officers sometimes encountered immigration violators while executing operations targeting other individuals.
“They may not been the target, but they were in the vehicle, they were in a house, or wherever the warrant was served at,” Mullin said.
DHS did not provide a comprehensive breakdown of the criminal offenses associated with all 4,170 arrests or specify how many individuals had convictions for violent crimes. The department also did not announce how many of those arrested had already been deported.
The operation brought together senior ICE officials from across Texas, including Dallas Field Office Director Miguel Vergara, Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford, acting San Antonio Field Office Director Joshua Johnson, acting El Paso Field Office Director Christopher McGregor and Harlingen Deputy Field Office Director Mellissa De Leon.
The coordinated arrests reflect the Trump administration’s emphasis on expanding immigration enforcement through cooperation with state and local authorities. Texas has maintained an extensive immigration enforcement presence along the southern border, including operations involving the Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard.
The latest federal initiative is distinct from Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, launched in 2021 to address illegal border crossings and related criminal activity.
Mullin also said Texas ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations personnel had taken more than 136,000 individuals with criminal histories into custody during the federal fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2026.
Speaking about the broader enforcement campaign, Mullin said immigration officers would continue conducting targeted arrests as resources permit.
The Texas operation comes as the administration increases immigration enforcement nationwide and emphasizes the removal of individuals who have violated federal immigration laws, including those previously deported and subsequently found inside the United States.
Individuals who unlawfully reenter after deportation can face federal criminal prosecution, with penalties determined by their prior immigration and criminal histories. Foreign nationals with outstanding criminal charges may also face separate proceedings in the jurisdictions where those allegations originated.
The 4,170 arrests announced Thursday represent the total number of individuals apprehended during Lone Star Mission, not the number convicted of violent crimes. DHS officials distinguished between arrests involving individuals with criminal histories and those involving immigration violations without separate criminal convictions.
With the statewide operation concluded, ICE officials said immigration enforcement would continue through the agency’s regional field offices and its partnerships with Texas law enforcement authorities.
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