US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has said its Harlingen, Texas, field office arrested 238 illegal immigrants during a single-day enforcement operation in the Rio Grande Valley, describing it as the highest number of targeted arrests carried out by its Enforcement and Removal Operations unit in the region.
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ICE said the June 18 operation was conducted with help from multiple law enforcement agencies and targeted individuals with prior criminal convictions, including attempted kidnapping, sexual battery and drug-related offences, Fox News reported.
"The ICE mission continues to focus on enhancing public safety and restoring integrity to our nation's immigration system," Harlingen Field Office Director Juan Agudelo said in a statement.
He added that the agency would continue efforts to remove "criminal illegal aliens" from US communities.
Among those arrested was Manuel Morales-Geronimo, a Mexican national whom ICE identified as a member of the Paisas gang.
The agency said he had previous convictions for assault causing bodily injury, possession of controlled substances, marijuana possession, driving while intoxicated, illegal entry into the United States and three counts of illegal re-entry.
ICE also identified another Mexican national, Jose Alfredo Castillo-Mendoza, as one of those arrested. According to the agency, he had prior convictions for attempted kidnapping, sexual battery and illegal re-entry.
The announcement came as President Donald Trump defended the use of immigration enforcement traffic stops following reports that the Department of Homeland Security had considered limiting most such stops after recent scrutiny over fatal encounters during enforcement operations.
Trump argued that traffic stops remain a key component of ICE's enforcement strategy and warned against scaling back the practice.
