HOUSTON, Texas — The courageous officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston made two significant arrests last week, taking with them a fugitive with a lengthy criminal history who has been deported three times and a murder suspect.
The Washington Post witnessed ICE fugitive agents conduct a pre-dawn raid in the Houston area and take away Mexican national Rosberto Arturo Sanchez Sanchez.
Early Wednesday morning, ICE agents arrested the 39-year-old Mexican national, who has been deported three times, at his Houston home.
Sanchez has an extensive criminal history, including convictions for disorderly conduct, cocaine possession, driving under the influence and assault on a family member.
“He committed some pretty egregious crimes,” John Linscott, who oversees ICE’s fugitive investigations in Houston, told The Washington Post.
The arrest took place in a rundown home in a low-income neighborhood where Sanchez was hiding with his wife and young child, who was heard calling for his father throughout the arrest.
As he exited his vehicle, ICE officers identified themselves, notified him of the arrest warrant and quickly took him into custody.
Sanchez appeared to accept his fate and did not resist the officers.
ICE agents handcuffed Sanchez and placed him in a vehicle, then drove him a few blocks away to better restrain him without causing a commotion in front of his family and neighbors.
Just a few days earlier, on June 3, police officers responded to another location in Houston and arrested suspect Jose Ulloa Martinez, 42, of Honduras.
Ulloa Martinez had been on the run for allegedly killing 23-year-old Kevin Melos Sarabia in North Carolina a few days earlier.
Ulloa Martinez entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and place, evading authorities.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina notified ICE that Ulloa-Martinez was on the run, and he was later located at his brother’s home in Houston.
Linscott said Ulloa-Martinez was trying to flee when officers came down to make the arrest.
“He had a backpack on, he had clothes, bottled water and a blanket. He was ready to go,” Linscott said.
“It looked like he was getting ready to get out of Houston.”
Like Ulloa Martinez, more than 1.7 million migrant “fugitives” are known to have sneaked across the border since President Biden took office.
Linscott said the recent arrests are a success for ICE, but that illegal immigration remains at record high levels and resources are limited, making it difficult for ICE to reach out and forcing it to prioritize arresting the worst criminals.
“ICE doesn’t have the resources… They need resources to enforce orders, so I think a big problem is they’re underfunded.”
The Biden administration has implemented new last-ditch measures to address the continuing flow of illegal crossings at the southern border.
The new restrictions, which took effect last Wednesday, mean many migrants will be unable to apply for asylum after crossing the southern border illegally.
The restrictions are meant to stop people from crossing the border and will not be lifted until the number of illegal border crossings remains below 1,500 for seven consecutive days.
The presidential order states that refugee applications will be suspended, NBC reported that migrants will continue to be screened. “However, they will be screened by refugee status determination officers under higher standards than is currently the case.”
If migrants exceed that threshold, they will be allowed into the US to seek “other forms of humanitarian protection,” the outlet said.
The restrictions do not apply to unaccompanied children, people with acute illnesses or those “fleeing imminent harm.”
The rules are not being applied in the same way to migrants from more than 100 countries who are caught crossing illegally into the San Diego area, according to an internal Border Patrol memo reviewed by The Washington Post.
