El Paso Standard

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has deported Francisco Lopez Melendez, a 32-year-old Mexican national and member of the Suenos-13 gang, marking his sixth removal from the United States. This deportation occurred on February 19 and is part of a series of recent actions by ICE to remove individuals with criminal backgrounds from the Houston area.

Melendez has a history of illegal entries into the U.S., having been previously deported in November 2013, May 2015, May 2018, October 2018, and November 2019. His criminal record includes convictions for failing to provide identification or giving fictitious information to law enforcement three times, drug possession twice, illegal entry twice, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, burglary, driving while intoxicated (DWI), and evading arrest.

In recent days, ICE also removed Jesus Alvarez Sinecio on February 10 and Humberto Romero Avila on February 13. Alvarez had been deported six times before and was convicted of aggravated assault on a family member among other offenses. Romero Avila is wanted in Mexico for an alleged murder in 2007 and has been convicted multiple times for DWI.

Bret Bradford, Director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Houston said: "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." He emphasized the agency's commitment to removing such individuals to protect public safety.

For further updates on ICE's operations in Texas, follow their account @EROHouston on X.

Information from this article can be found here.