(The Center Square) – In another immigration sweep in the largest city of Texas, 174 criminal illegal foreign nationals were deported to Mexico from Houston, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office agents deported 174 “criminal aliens” to Mexico, including 24 gang members.

Combined, those deported were convicted of 610 criminal offenses, ICE said. Many were previously deported multiple times. When including previous deportations, the 174 deported last month were deported a total of 415 times, according to ICE records.

The most recent deportations occurred between March 17 and March 28.

Among their 610 convictions, two were for homicide; four were for rape or sexual assault; five for child sex offenses; 72 for aggravated assault or assault; 49 for theft; five for firearms; 83 for drug trafficking or drug possession; 146 for driving while intoxicated; eight for hit-and-run and 22 for human smuggling, ICE said.

“Many of the criminal aliens removed to Mexico during the two-week period have illegally entered the U.S. numerous times and been convicted of multiple criminal offenses,” ICE said.

Among the Mexican national “criminal aliens” deported were:

• A 36-year-old previously removed from the U.S. 39 times. His convictions include illegal entry, DWI, dangerous drugs, and fraud.
• A 48-year-old previously removed from the U.S. 13 times. His 25 criminal convictions include narcotics offenses, resisting arrest, identity theft, domestic violence, assault, battery, larceny, kidnapping, illegal entry, illegal reentry, and destruction of evidence.
• A 50-year-old documented Florencia 13 gang member previously removed from the U.S. eight times. His convictions include domestic violence, battery, possession of stolen property, drug possession, aggravated assault with a gun, and illegal entry.
• A 60-year-old previously removed from the U.S. seven times. His convictions include eight DWIs, assault and illegal reentry.
• A 46-year-old previously removed from the U.S. seven times. His convictions include three DWIs, multiple for illegal entry and reentry, obstruction, immigration fraud, narcotics possession, and burglary.

“This is just a small snapshot of the amazing work that the brave men and women at ICE do every day to enhance public safety in Southeast Texas,” ICE ERO Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said. “Each day they put their lives on the line to apprehend and remove dangerous criminal aliens, transnational gang members and foreign fugitives who have illegally entered the U.S. and are preying on innocent, hardworking Texans. Fueled by our unwavering commitment to protect the public from harm, and united in our determination to restore integrity to our nation’s system of laws, ICE will continue to aggressively pursue and remove anyone who threatens the safety of our communities and the national security of our country.”

The announcement comes after ICE ERO Houston agents arrested 646 illegal foreign nationals in a one-week targeted enforcement action last month, The Center Square reported.

Working with multiple federal, state and local law enforcement partners, ICE agents made the arrests including 543 who’d been charged or convicted of criminal offenses while in the country illegally, including seven documented gang members. The majority arrested, 140, were charged or convicted of an aggravated felony or other violent crimes like homicide, aggravated assault, or domestic violence, according to ICE records.

“In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to illegally enter the U.S.,” Bradford said. “After illegally entering the country, many of these criminal aliens have gone on to commit violent crime and reign terror on law-abiding residents.”

Their arrests, he said, sent a “resounding message to transnational criminal organizations everywhere that the law enforcement community in the Texas Gulf Coast is more united than ever and will not rest until we’ve eradicated these criminal elements from the country.”

The Trump administration has prioritized deporting the most violent offenders in what it hopes will be a mass deportation effort. Deportations are underway after a record more than 14 million foreign nationals illegally entered the U.S. under the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported.

Under the Trump administration, illegal border crossings have dropped to record lows within two months of President Donald Trump being sworn into office.