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Child predators, gang members, human traffickers deported in major Texas city ICE roundup

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Child predators, gang members, human traffickers deported in major Texas city ICE roundup

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Child predators, gang members and human traffickers were among the 142 criminal illegals deported to Mexico by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officials in the Houston area in just the last two weeks.

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According to an ICE statement on Tuesday, the criminal immigrants were deported between May 19 and May 30. Those deported had been convicted of a total of 473 criminal offenses and had illegally entered the country a combined 480 times.

The statement said that among those deported, 11 of the illegals were convicted child predators, eight were “documented gang members” and one had illegally entered the country 21 times.

Additionally, among the deported illegals were 43 aggravated assault and domestic violence-related convictions, 48 drug trafficking or drug possession convictions, 22 human trafficking or human smuggling convictions and one conviction for making terroristic threats.

LARGEST EVER ICE OPERATION RESULTS IN NEARLY 1,500 ILLEGALS ARRESTED IN BLUE STATE

Child predators, gang members and human traffickers were among the 142 criminal illegals deported to Mexico by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officials in the Houston area in just the last two weeks. (ICE)

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One of the illegals, Alejandro Aguilar Vazquez, a 45-year-old Mexican national, had been convicted three times of cruelty towards a child, according to ICE.

Another, Luis Angel Garcia-Contreras, a 40-year-old criminal immigrant from Mexico and documented member of the Surenos 13 gang, has illegally entered the U.S. 21 times and has been convicted of illegal entry four times.

Benito Charqueno Zavala, a 60-year-old Mexican national, was convicted of continuous sexual abuse of a child.

In the statement, Bret Bradford, ICE ERO Houston Field Office director, said, “Unfortunately, this is not an anomaly.”

MS-13, TREN DE ARAGUA TARGETED FOR DEATH BLOW IN NEW GOP BILL AIMED AT MIGRANT CRIME

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From left to right, Alejandro Aguilar Vazquez, Benito Charqueno Zavala and Luis Angel Garcia-Contreras. (ICE)

“For the past few years, there was virtually no deterrent to illegally entering the country,” he said. “As a result, millions of illegal aliens poured into the country, including violent criminal aliens, child predators, transnational gang members and foreign fugitives.”

As a state that comprises over 60% of the U.S.-Mexico border, Texas was among the states most heavily impacted by the immigration crisis in the last several years.

Bradford said that “many of these dangerous criminal aliens went on to prey on law-abiding residents in local communities right here in Southeast Texas.”

“This is just a small snapshot of those efforts as it only focuses on deportations to one country over the course of a two-week period, but it gives you an idea of how big this problem really is,” he explained.

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HOMAN BLASTS BLUE STATE AS REPORT SHOWS IT RELEASING ILLEGALS CHARGED WITH ‘HORRIFIC’ CRIMES ON LOW BAILS

Venezuelan immigrant Louis Sanchez asks Texas National Guard troops to let his family pass through razor wire after they crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico on Sept. 27, 2023 in Eagle Pass, Texas. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Ammon Blair, a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, explained the scale of the still-ongoing crisis in Texas and across the nation. He told Fox News Digital that the deportation of the 142 criminal illegal immigrants in Houston “reveals a far deeper crisis unfolding across our nation—one that poses a direct threat to public safety, national security, and the rule of law.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

He said the 142 represents “only a sliver of the 650,000 criminal aliens currently on ICE’s Non-Detained Docket, free to move through American communities with impunity.”

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“Texas has become the front line in this crisis, not just geographically, but constitutionally,” he added, explaining that “nearly 100 counties in Texas have issued disaster declarations or formally declared an invasion, not for political theater, but because cartel operations, weaponized mass migration, and the release of violent offenders have made every community in Texas vulnerable.”

“This is not a policy disagreement. It is a public safety emergency,” he added.

SANCTUARY POLICIES IN DEEP-BLUE COLORADO LED TO TERROR ATTACK, SAYS LOCAL DA

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott visiting the border with the National Guard in Eagle Pass, Texas. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesperson for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, told Fox News Digital that President Donald Trump is “stepping up where Joe Biden failed.”

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While many other states are resisting ICE operations, Mahaleris said that Texas “will continue to assist the Trump Administration in arresting, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants.”

“President Trump’s deportation efforts are making Texas safer,” he said. “Governor Abbott is grateful to finally have an administration upholding the rule of law in our country.”  

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Los Angeles, Ca

Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach

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Woman ambushed, violently attacked by robber in downtown Long Beach

A woman was hospitalized with serious injuries after she was violently attacked by a robber in downtown Long Beach. On June 18, Jennifer Silva, 34, was attending a World Cup watch party at a Hooters restaurant at 90 Aquarium Way. After the game ended, she left the restaurant just before 11 p.m. As she walked […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire

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Jury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire

Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.

A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.

Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.

Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.

  • A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025.
  • Palisades Fire Suspect

Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.

“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”

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The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.

Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.

“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.

Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.

Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report

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Los Angeles, Ca

Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food

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Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food

Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]

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