US: Indians among 45 people arrested in Houston for allegedly violating immigration laws

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement department arrested 45 people, including Indians, in the Houston area between August 5 and August 10 for allegedly violating immigration laws.

The agency did not give the total number of Indians taken into custody. Apart from Indians, people from Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Cuba, Nigeria, Chile and Turkey have also been arrested, the agency said in a statement.

“Our primary focus with conducting targeted immigration enforcement operations is to improve public safety by removing criminal aliens from our local communities,” said Pat Contreras, the agency’s field office director.

The agency said some of the arrested individuals would face federal criminal prosecution for illegal entry and illegal re-entry after deportation. Others will be detained and eventually deported.

In a separate incident, the US Border Patrol on Saturday found 78 suspected undocumented residents, including Indians,



inside a locked refrigerated trailer at a checkpoint in Texas. People from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, Ecuador and Dominican Republic were also among those found.

“These criminal organisations continue to use tractor trailers and view these individuals as mere commodities without regard for their safety,” PTI quoted acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens as saying. “The blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these organisations and prosecute those responsible.”

Owens said the 78 people are in good health.

In June, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep together families who illegally cross the US southern border as they await immigration proceedings. The order, however, instructed government officials to continue its “zero-tolerance” enforcement policy that allows authorities to file criminal charges against undocumented immigrants.