(AP Picture/David J. Phillip, File)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) introduced in a Tuesday social media publish that it made 118 arrests in Colony Ridge, a majority Latino neighborhood north of Houston. However an ICE spokesperson in Houston later confirmed just one current arrest in that space.
This comes a day after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott mentioned in a publish on X that federal immigration enforcement was focusing an operation on the residential neighborhood, which conservative state officers have beforehand accused of being a secure haven for folks within the nation with out authorized standing.
ICE, in its personal X publish on Tuesday afternoon, mentioned the arrests made have been primarily based on costs together with “prison sexual conduct, murder, theft, negligent manslaughter, youngster sexual abuse, crimes of ethical turpitude, weapons offenses and drug offenses.”
It was not instantly clear, nonetheless, whether or not the reported variety of arrests have been made this week or as a part of ongoing enforcement initiatives.
An ICE Houston spokesperson on Tuesday solely confirmed the arrest of 39-year-old Florentin Chevez-Luna to Houston Public Media, saying Chevez-Luna is from El Salvador and had been deported a number of instances. The spokesperson mentioned Chevez-Luna was arrested in close by Plum Grove.
The ICE Houston spokesperson didn’t reply questions searching for further readability and context concerning the social media publish by the Washington-based company.
At a Monday information convention close to an elementary faculty within the Colony Ridge space, Cesar Espinosa, government director of FIEL, a Houston-based immigrant advocacy group, mentioned there was a “enormous presence” of Texas Division of Public Security officers within the space. Abbott mentioned in his social media publish that DPS officers have been working with federal brokers.
Espinosa mentioned he heard from a number of neighborhood members that arrests have been being made within the space Monday, which triggered a “chilling impact locally.” The Texas Newsroom was not capable of confirm that info whereas within the Colony Ridge space Monday.
Demes Lopez, a Colony Ridge resident, mentioned Monday in Spanish that, “We’re afraid for our youngsters, for our household, for our brothers who’re struggling the results of the truth that immigration is right here.”
The Texas Newsroom’s Lucio Vasquez contributed to this story.
