HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrest of 214 illegal aliens charged with or convicted of sex offenses involving minors in the Houston area over the past six months — surpassing the total number arrested by the Houston field office during the entire 2024 fiscal year.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Houston attributed the increase to a coordinated, multiagency enforcement effort targeting criminal aliens. In 2024, the office had arrested 211 individuals for similar offenses.
“Bringing together the resources and expertise of the entire federal law enforcement community… has resulted in the arrest and removal of historic numbers of violent criminal aliens,” said ERO Houston Acting Field Office Director Paul McBride.
Among those arrested were:
- Jesus Gutierrez Mireles, 67, a three-time deported Mexican national convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Arrested March 28, removed April 4.
- Jorge Zebra, 48, of Mexico, convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a minor. Arrested March 21, removed March 24.
- Manuel Antonio Castro-Juarez, 37, a twice-deported El Salvadoran national convicted of sexual assault of a minor. Arrested July 18, remains in custody pending third removal.
- Jose Guadalupe Meza, 40, a four-time deported Mexican national convicted of theft and child sexual assault. Arrested June 24, removed June 25.
- Sergio Rolando Galvan Guerrero, 45, a three-time deported Mexican national convicted of aggravated child sexual assault. Arrested July 12, removed July 14.
The effort involved collaboration with federal agencies including the FBI, ATF, DEA, U.S. Marshals, CBP, and Diplomatic Security Service, as well as state and local law enforcement.
ICE’s Houston field office oversees 57 counties across Southeast Texas. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspicious activity to 866-347-2423 or via ICE’s online tip form.
ICE reports the largest six-month total of child sex offender arrests in Houston’s history, surpassing all of last year’s figures.
