HOUSTON – Fugitive operations officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston Field Office arrested three felon non-citizens from the Houston area Thursday.
FOX 26 had an exclusive ride-along with Team Alpha, one of the four fugitive operation teams.
These teams focus on individuals convicted or charged with serious crimes, not just any non-citizen on the street.
“We know who we’re going after, we do target enforcement, and we’re going after criminals,” said John Linscott, Assistant Field Officer Director for ICE Houston. “We want to get rid of the worst of the worst, the people you want out of your neighborhoods.”
It’s not unusual for violent offenders to be out on bond in Houston, and FOX 26 has reported on this numerous times, even dedicating a series to the issue.
Linscott emphasized that their operations are different because convicted criminals don’t have the option to bond out.
“With us, we can take someone out of the community – remove them from the country permanently – and we know that community is a lot safer, and that person is not coming back,” he explained.
Team Alpha’s day started early on the west side of Houston, near the 14000 block of Westheimer, where they held a briefing about their target.
“Let’s spread out around the complex and keep our eyes up,” said Deportation Officer Walker to the team.
Alpha had been surveilling Alexander Paredes Padilla for days, and their efforts led to his arrest, one of three made during the operation.
The Convicts
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Different teams arrested Henry Alexander Paredes Padilla in West Houston, Shakespear Ngirmekur in Humble, and Kelia Alanis Mata in Freeport.
Padilla, a 44-year-old Honduran national, has illegally entered the U.S. at least three times, according to ICE. He was previously deported in January 2002 and July 2010. While in the U.S. illegally, Padilla was convicted of several offenses, including failure to stop and give information, evading arrest in a motor vehicle, assaulting a peace officer, and driving while intoxicated. He was taken to the ICE Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, and his prior order of removal was reinstated.
Mata, a 41-year-old previously deported Mexican national, has illegally entered the U.S. at least twice, according to ICE. After her March 8, 2007, drug trafficking arrest, she was found at the Hidalgo County Jail and an immigration detainer was placed. On July 17, 2007, she was transferred to U.S. Border Patrol custody following a conviction for cocaine trafficking. Mata was later removed but re-entered the U.S. illegally. ICE took her to the ICE Montgomery Processing Center, reinstating her prior removal order. They will also forward her case for potential prosecution for illegal reentry.
Ngirmekur, a 46-year-old citizen of Palau, entered the U.S. in March 2010 as a non-immigrant but failed to leave, according to ICE. While in the U.S., he was convicted of gross sexual imposition of a minor and failure to report a change of address as a child sex offender. He was taken to the ICE Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe, Texas, where he will remain pending his immigration proceedings.
ICE Houston confirmed a fourth arrest took place Thursday, but details cannot be released due to privacy regulations.
The Impact
Nearly 90% of the non-citizens arrested by ERO are either convicted of or charged with a crime, according to ICE data.
Through the first three quarters of Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, ERO Houston arrested 7,211 illegally present non-citizens. Of those, 4,995 (69%) had at least one criminal conviction, and 1,340 (19%) had pending criminal charges.
“We’re far exceeding the national average,” said Linscott.
National data shows that the average is closer to 70%.
Nationally, ICE ERO arrested 85,822 illegally present non-citizens through the first three quarters of FY2024. Of those, 42,193 (49%) had at least one criminal conviction, and 16,960 (20%) had pending charges.
How ERO Operates in Houston
ERO Houston currently has four active fugitive operations teams targeting at-large removable non-citizens, particularly those posing a danger to public safety, national security, or border security.
The teams conduct intelligence-driven investigations to locate fugitive non-citizens, confirm their identity, and remove them from the community as safely as possible.
“The men and women that do this job live in the community as well,” Linscott said. “They all take pride in what they’re doing.”
