In a decisive action against those with histories of serious crimes, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents apprehended two men previously convicted of child sex offenses and other violent crimes. On Wednesday, agents detained David Lopez Javier, a Honduran national with multiple deportations and convictions, and Efrain Gomez Cac, a Guatemalan national with a past of violent offenses, as reported by ICE.
Lopez, 45, had been deported twice before his most recent arrest in Conroe, Texas. Gomez, 30, was apprehended in Cleveland, Texas, adding to his criminal record after being previously removed by ICE on September 7, 2018. Lopez has a significant history of illegal activities, including cocaine trafficking, lewd conduct with a minor, and multiple instances of illegal reentry into the United States. Gomez's criminal background includes aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing bodily harm and driving while intoxicated. These cases highlight the range and severity of crimes for which ICE has targeted these individuals.
ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston, in conjunction with Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), plays a vital role in addressing the presence of criminal noncitizens. "HSI Houston is proud to work alongside ERO Houston and our other partner agencies in the area to aggressively pursue criminal aliens and other transnational criminal and immigration-related threats here in Houston and along the Texas Gulf Coast," ICE HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz stated, as per ICE.
Commitment to community safety and the enforcement of immigration laws underpins ICE's operations, with Plantz adding, "Our special agents live and raise families in this community and are committed to do whatever it takes to remove criminal aliens, child predators, transnational gang members, and other threats to public safety from the local community," in a statement obtained by ICE.
