U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal and Texas officials carried out a massive 10-day operation in Houston that resulted in over 1,500 arrests, including of aggravated felons, gang members, sexual predators, a murderer and others.

In a Wednesday statement, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office Director Bret Bradford announced that “despite the conditions becoming increasingly dangerous for our officers as a result of the spread of violent political rhetoric and intentionally false information,” agents arrested 1,505 illegal aliens in a southeast Texas operation that ran Oct. 22-31.

Bradford said the arrests of gang members, child predators and other violent criminals “prevented countless Houstonians from having to suffer from the nightmares and PTSD that come with being a victim of violent crime.”

These arrests came after another ICE Houston operation in August resulted in 822 arrests and another in February and March that led to 543 arrests.

MASSIVE ICE OPERATION NETS GANG MEMBERS, MURDERERS, CHILD PREDATORS: ‘WREAKED HAVOC’

In total, the October operation resulted in the arrests of 17 documented gang members, 40 aggravated felons, one convicted murderer and 13 sexual predators, according to the ICE statement. Offenses committed by those arrested included 115 aggravated assaults, 142 DWIs, 55 drug offenses and 31 weapons offenses. The agency also said that 255 of those arrested had been previously deported from the U.S. at least once.

Nearly one-third of those arrested have been ordered removed from the U.S. by an immigration judge, according to ICE.

The agency highlighted some of the worst of the worst offenders nabbed in the operation, which included Selvin Joel Lara Diaz, a 35-year-old previously deported child predator and Mexican mafia member. According to ICE, Lara Diaz was convicted of raping and impregnating his own minor sister. He was arrested hiding in the shelves of a Houston-area grocery store.

Another, Marlon Odir Gomez Hernandez, a 29-year-old suspected MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, had previously been arrested in his home country for aggravated extortion. ICE officials chased Gomez Hernandez into a washateria where he climbed through the ceiling panels and became wedged in a sign on the side of the building, according to the agency.

ICE REVEALS STUNNING STATISTIC AFTER EXPOSING HALLOWEEN WEEKEND’S ‘WORST OF THE WORST’ ARRESTS

A third, Rony Andy Martinez Lopez, 27, from Honduras, was arrested during the operation after being previously deported and convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and cruelty towards a child.

Vongphachan Phothisome, a 53-year-old from Laos, was also arrested and has been convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor.

Salvador Ramirez-Carrillo, a 46-year-old from Mexico, had previously been deported four times. He is a member of the Paisas gang and has been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest with a vehicle.

Another, Rey David Bautista-Antonio, a 27-year-old also from Mexico, was arrested and has been convicted of three DWIs.

TRUMP REVEALS IMMIGRATION RAIDS ‘HAVEN’T GONE FAR ENOUGH’ ON ’60 MINUTES’

Bradford said that thanks to the “unwavering commitment” of the ICE agents to “defend this community from foreign criminal invaders and other illegal aliens who undermine our rule of law, a previously deported Mexican Mafia gang member convicted of raping and impregnating his underage sister who is also wanted in Mexico for murder is no longer free; A four-time deported Paisas gang member arrested for DWI and convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and evading arrest with a vehicle is no longer beating up law-abiding Americans or driving intoxicated on our roadways; and five other criminal alien child predators are no longer free in the community preying on innocent children.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“While it’s impossible to put a measure on the crimes that will never happen as a result of their efforts during this operation, I can tell you with certainty that they’ve saved lives and prevented countless Houstonians from having to suffer from the nightmares and PTSD that come with being a victim of violent crime,” said Bradford.

Two men accused of killing two Kansas mothers and hiding their bodies in a buried freezer pleaded not guilty Wednesday in an Oklahoma courtroom.

Tad Cullum, 43, and Cole Twombly, 50, entered their pleas to multiple charges connected to the deaths of 39-year-old Jilian Kelley and 27-year-old Veronica Butler. Both men are charged with two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, unlawful removal of a dead body and unlawful desecration of a human corpse, according to court records.

Cullum’s trial is scheduled to begin June 1, 2026, while Twombly’s is set for Oct. 19, 2026.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the judge approved a motion allowing defense attorneys for Cullum, Twombly and co-defendant Tifany Adams to access jail phone calls and text messages made by all five defendants in the case. Authorities have said some of the suspects are linked to a religious, anti-government group called “God’s Misfits.”

FURY ERUPTS AFTER ACCUSED TEEN SEX PREDATOR DODGES PRISON; FAMILIES SWARM COURTHOUSE DEMANDING JUDGE’S HEAD

In a separate ruling, the judge ordered that several personal belongings be returned to the victims’ families, including Kelley’s wedding ring and Butler’s vehicle.

After the hearing, Butler’s mother told KSN News that the best way to honor the women’s memories is through prayer, asking the community to pray for “redemption, forgiveness, and salvation for everyone involved.”

Authorities say Butler and Kelley vanished on March 30, 2024, while driving to pick up Butler’s children. Their car was found abandoned near the Oklahoma–Kansas border under suspicious circumstances.

MURDERED KANSAS MOM SUFFERED 30 STAB, CUT WOUNDS TRYING TO DEFEND HERSELF: AUTOPSY

Two weeks later, investigators discovered their bodies inside a chest freezer buried in a rural cow pasture in Texas County. Both had been stabbed to death, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).

The agency announced the arrests of Cullum, Twombly, Tifany Machel Adams, 54, and Cora Twombly, 44, on April 13, 2024, in connection with the murders. A fifth suspect, 31-year-old Paul Grice, was taken into custody shortly afterward.

Last month, Adams pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree murder and related charges involving the unlawful handling and concealment of the victims’ remains. Court documents confirm the plea included additional counts of unlawful removal and desecration of a human corpse, and that the state agreed not to seek the death penalty in her case.

COURT DOCUMENTS DETAIL CAUSE OF DEATH FOR MURDERED KANSAS MOMS

In December 2024, KSN reported that two plea deals were announced in the case and that prosecutors moved to have Cora Twombly and Grice testify during preliminary hearings.

Texas County District Attorney George H. Leach III has announced plans to seek the death penalty against both Cullum and Cole Twombly.

According to court filings, the state is seeking the death penalty for both men, citing multiple aggravating factors. The state said the murders were “especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel,” that they were “committed to avoid arrest or prosecution,” and that the defendants pose a “continuing threat to society.”

Prosecutors allege the murders were planned over several weeks and that the victims suffered extensive physical abuse and stab wounds before their deaths.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Investigators allege several of the suspects were part of a religiously affiliated, anti-government group called “God’s Misfits.” Authorities believe the killings were tied to an ongoing custody dispute involving Butler’s children.

At the time of the women’s disappearance, Adams’ son, Wrangler Rickman, who had custody of the children, was in a rehabilitation facility. Butler had been allowed supervised visitation every Saturday and, according to court records, was expected to gain unsupervised visitation rights in the coming weeks.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was seriously injured Monday in Houston while arresting a Salvadoran national on charges of violent crimes, according to officials.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement that the officer was struck in the face with a metal coffee cup by twice-deported Leonel Perez Rodriguez.

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARMED WITH KNIFE, CRACK PIPE IN HOUSTON PARKING LOT

The ICE officer allegedly suffered injuries including severe burns and a deep laceration on his face which needed 13 stitches.

The incident happened when ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers tried to detain Rodriguez, 33, after his most recent reentry into the U.S.

Authorities said Rodriguez has since been referred for federal prosecution for illegal reentry and assaulting a federal officer.

ICE NABS 3-TIME DEPORTED ILLEGAL ALIEN CHARGED WITH ASSAULTING A POLICE OFFICER: ‘GOOD RIDDANCE’

Per the release, Rodriguez’s criminal record includes a conviction for sexual assault of a child under 17, multiple DUIs and repeated illegal entries into the U.S.

He was deported in 2013 and again in 2020 after serving prison time for his offenses.

“This young officer’s life has forever been altered as a result of the continued hyper-politicization of routine law enforcement activities and spread of misinformation by the media, NGOs, and other groups opposed to immigration enforcement,” said Bret Bradford, ICE’s Houston Field Office Director.

ICE ARRESTS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARMED WITH KNIFE, CRACK PIPE IN HOUSTON PARKING LOT

“By focusing on our officers and spreading false propaganda about how we accomplish our mission, they are emboldening dangerous illegal aliens like this child predator to physically resist arrest. This insanity has to stop before anyone else gets hurt.”

The assault comes as ICE moves forward with its operations nationwide amid what DHS officials have called “the Democrats’ longest government shutdown in American history.”

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin praised ICE personnel Thursday for maintaining operations under challenging conditions.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“The shutdown has not stopped ICE from protecting American communities,” she said in a statement.

“Seventy percent of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of crimes in the United States. Our officers remain committed to keeping the nation safe, regardless of political obstacles.”