ICE arrests over 200 illegal alien child sex offenders in Houston area in past 6 months

HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 214 illegal aliens for immigration offenses in the Houston area in the past six months who have been charged or convicted of a sex offense involving a minor. The 214 arrests were more than the Houston field office arrested during the entire 2024 fiscal year, when officers there arrested 211 illegal aliens charged or convicted of child sex offenses.

The surge in arrests of illegal aliens charged with or convicted of child sex offenses is a direct result of a whole-of-government approach implemented under the current administration that led to the establishment of multiagency targeting teams in each area of responsibility. These teams conduct daily enhanced immigration enforcement operations targeting the “worst of the worst” criminal aliens for arrest and removal. In Southeast Texas, those efforts have resulted in an increase in arrests of all dangerous criminal aliens, leading to safer communities, stronger national security and enhanced border security.

“Bringing together the resources and expertise of the entire federal law enforcement community to confront the overwhelming surge of illegal immigration that we saw over the past four years has resulted in the arrest and removal of historic numbers of violent criminal aliens, transnational gang members and child sex offenders,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting Field Office Director Paul McBride. “While we still have a long way to go to truly get this crisis under control, the strides we have made in just six months to make our local communities safer are substantial, and our officers continue to work tirelessly every day to get the worst of the worst criminal aliens out of Southeast Texas to return our communities to places we can all enjoy.”

Among the illegal aliens charged or convicted of a child sex offense who were arrested by the ICE ERO Houston Field Office in the past six months were:

1. Jesus Gutierrez Mireles, a 67-year-old, three-time deported criminal alien from Mexico, who was arrested March 28 and has been convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child and driving while intoxicated. ICE removed Gutierrez Mireles to Mexico April 4.
2. Jorge Zebra, a 48-year-old criminal alien from Mexico, who was arrested March 21 and has been convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a minor and sexual indecency with a minor. ICE removed Zebra to Mexico March 24.
3. Manuel Antonio Castro-Juarez, a 37-year-old, twice-deported criminal alien from El Salvador who was arrested July 18 and has been convicted of sexual assault of a minor and twice for illegal reentry. Castro-Juarez remains in ICE custody pending his third removal to El Salvador.
4. Jose Guadalupe Meza, a 40-year-old, four-time deported criminal alien from Mexico who was arrested June 24 and has been convicted of theft and sexual assault of a child. ICE removed Guadalupe Meza to Mexico June 25.
5. Sergio Rolando Galvan Guerrero, a 45-year-old, three-time deported criminal alien from Mexico who was arrested July 12 and has been convicted of DWI and aggravated sexual assault of a child. ICE removed Galvan Guerrero to Mexico July 14.

Federal law enforcement agencies that have contributed to the multiagency targeting teams include the Houston offices of the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Diplomatic Security Service and the U.S. Marshals Service. State and local law enforcement agencies have also assisted ICE.