ICE sets record with 238 illegal alien arrests in one day in Texas

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas' Rio Grande Valley made a record-setting 238 arrests of illegal immigrants in a single day, with many of the targets having rap sheets with heinous crimes ;including ;kidnapping, sex crimes, and prior deportations. ; ;

“The ICE mission continues to focus on enhancing public safety and restoring integrity to our nation’s immigration system,” ICE Harlingen Field Office Director Juan Agudelo said of the arrests. “We will stop at nothing to keep our American communities safe by removing one criminal illegal alien at a time.”

One of those arrested included ;Jose Alfredo Castillo-Mendoza, who is an illegal immigrant from Mexico. He has been convicted of kidnapping, sexual battery, and illegal reentry into the United States. ;


Jose Alfredo Castillo-Mendoza

Another one of the targeted arrests was ;Manuel Morales-Geronimo, an illegal immigrant from Mexico as well as an alleged member of the ;Paisas ;gang. He has been convicted ;of assault ;causing bodily injury, possession of a controlled substance, possession of marijuana, driving while intoxicated, and has illegally entered the US multiple times. ; ;


Manuel Morales-Geronimo

Other illegal immigrants arrested included ;Fernando Leonel Perez-Torres, ;Noe Tinoco Perez, ;Juan Sebastian Chable-De La Cruz, ;Gilberto Hernandez-Valdez, and others all with convictions of other crimes as well as illegal reentry into the US. ;


From left to right: ;Fernando Leonel Perez-Torres, ;Noe Tinoco Perez, ;Juan Sebastian Chable-De La Cruz, ;Gilberto Hernandez-Valdez

The announcement from ICE comes just days after the law enforcement agency said that they would be pausing traffic stops, but that has been pushed back on by President Donald Trmp. The president said that traffic stops are "one of ICE's most important and effective Crime Fighting tools." The stop came after there were two ICE-involved shootings, one in Texas and another in Maine. ;

Border Czar Tom Homan said regarding the move to pause traffic stop arrests that it would be temporary and then ICE would resume the practice. ;

“They're going to make sure that the training is sufficient,” Homan said Tuesday. “Did anything go wrong? I'm confident they're going to get back to their policy of vehicle stops, but they're doing what they believe is a necessary short-term pause just to look at it and make sure everything's good.”

Trump said on Truth Social, ;“In order to do this, we must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP! Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands. The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E., be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.”