New Task Force Tackles Cross-Border Crime in Houston
HOUSTON, Texas – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the FBI have launched a new Homeland Security Task Force in Houston aimed at addressing emerging threats posed by cross-border criminal organizations in southeastern Texas. This initiative comes on the heels of nearly 1,400 arrests made in the Houston area just last month.
On July 17th, the ICE Homeland Security Survey and FBI Houston announced the formation of this task force. The goal is to dismantle cross-border criminal networks operating in the region.
Earlier reports indicated that in June alone, a Houston ICE officer arrested 1,361 individuals who were identified as criminal aliens. Among those detained were 32 child predators, nine individuals charged with murder, one person previously convicted of hijacking, and 16 gang or cartel members.
“As these criminal organizations, along with foreign terrorist groups and drug cartels, evolve and refine their operations, it’s essential for law enforcement to collaborate on innovative strategies to confront these new challenges,” said an official. “This is particularly relevant in southeastern Texas where we encounter numerous unique threats from multinational crime syndicates.”
The task force plans to apply a broad approach using intelligence-driven methods to tackle issues like drug and weapons trafficking, human smuggling, and exploitation of children, among other serious crimes.
A special agent at the FBI Houston office, Douglas Williams, remarked, “For the first time, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are united in the effort to track down and eliminate cross-border criminals in the Houston area. Our federal, state, and local partners will work closely with our U.S. intelligence community and international allies to eliminate newly identified terrorist threats that jeopardize our communities.”
Recent arrests included members of various gangs and cartels, notably Tren de Aragua, MS-13, and Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG), all classified as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. State Department.
The task force aims to collaborate directly with law enforcement agencies in the Texas and Houston areas, focusing on identifying and dismantling violent criminal entities. Partners in this initiative include the Drug Enforcement Administration, ATF, IRS Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other federal, state, and local agencies.
