ICE Houston Teams Averaging About 100 Illegal Alien Arrests Per Day, Agency Says

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported Friday that its teams in the Houston area are averaging about 100 arrests of illegal aliens per day.

The official ICE account posted the figure alongside video from a NewsNation report in which a correspondent embedded with Houston-area teams. “We are arresting about 100 illegal aliens a day in Houston, Texas. Past Administrations failed you, the American people. President Trump will not,” the post stated.

NewsNation reported that the team it accompanied brought four of five targets into custody before 11 a.m. One man from El Salvador had three prior DWI arrests, the most recent in 2024, and a final order of removal after missing a court date. Agents conducted surveillance to establish his routine and detained him before he entered a vehicle. A second arrest, conducted with a county constable, involved a man with a 2013 charge of enticing a minor, a prior DWI, and driving-without-a-license cases; he also had a removal order after missing court.

Bret Bradford, director of ICE’s Houston Enforcement and Removal Operations field office, told NewsNation that the agency prioritizes the “worst of the worst” but will not limit enforcement to those with criminal records. “If you’re in this country illegally, there’s a consequence,” Bradford said. He added that current rhetoric has “emboldened these individuals to run, to flee, to evade arrest,” and he encouraged people eligible for voluntary departure to use the $3,000 cash incentive rather than wait for an arrest.

Houston’s field office has recorded large arrest totals in earlier operations. In a 10-day sweep in late October 2025, agents reported 1,505 arrests that included gang members, aggravated felons, a convicted murderer, and sexual predators. ICE has also posted footage of a traffic enforcement effort that produced more than 120 arrests in a single day, describing those taken into custody as often unlicensed and uninsured.

Earlier data analyzed from the Deportation Data Project showed the Houston area of responsibility leading U.S. cities in both at-large community arrests and jail/prison detainments in the first months of the current administration. ICE has separately announced hundreds of arrests in the region of individuals with convictions or charges involving child sexual offenses, homicide, and other serious crimes.