In a significant operation led by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), two individuals who were featured on Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List have been apprehended. Jorge Dionicio Hernandez, 33, and Omar David Zavala, 30, were taken into custody in Houston and Mesquite respectively, Click2Houston reports.
Hernandez, identified as a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, was wanted out of Harris County since January 2022 for indecency with a child by sexual contact. Special Agents from DPS’ Criminal Investigations Division, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office collaborated to make the arrest. In the past, Hernandez faced multiple counts of driving while intoxicated dating back to 2009, and was removed from the United States thereafter, then re-arrested in 2021 for providing a false driver license/identification card. A Crime Stoppers reward will be offered for information that led to his arrest, in an effort to encourage community involvement in law enforcement efforts.
Zavala, of Salvadoran origin, had warrants for his arrest in Harris County for charges including sexual assault, terroristic threat, and obstruction/retaliation since 2022. The coordinated effort to apprehend him involved DPS Special Agents from the Texas Anti-Gang (TAG) center in Houston, the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, additional DPS Special Agents from the Special Investigations Section in Garland, the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force and the Dallas Police Department Drone Unit. Zavala's previous encounters with law enforcement include multiple arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2014, and his subsequent removal from the United States in 2015.
Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor's Public Safety Office, maintains a program to incentivize tips that lead to arrests. In 2024, the collaboration between DPS and other agencies resulted in the arrests of 46 fugitives, including 17 sex offenders, 10 gang members and four criminal illegal immigrants, with the payout of $32,000 for actionable tips. Informants willing to provide assistance can call the Crime Stoppers hotline, submit a web tip through the DPS website, or submit a Facebook tip. All tips are anonymous, and informants receive a unique identification number instead of using their names, according to a DPS release.
The DPS advises against the public attempting to apprehend listed fugitives due to the potential danger they pose. Special Agents continue to work with local and federal law enforcement agencies, to apprehend criminal illegal immigrants, and to update the Texas 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List. The current list, complete with photos, is available on the DPS website for the public to view and assist in reporting sightings or information that may lead to an arrest.
