DHS detains thousands of migrants during “Lone Star Mission” in Texas last month
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with other local, state and federal agencies, arrested 4,170 people across Texas during a 10-day statewide law enforcement initiative titled Lone Star Mission, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Oct. 29.
The joint effort targeted criminal noncitizens throughout Texas, according to officials who presented the results at a news conference in Dallas last Thursday.
Lone Star Mission ran from Oct. 19 to Oct. 29 and involved ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations field offices in Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso and Harlingen.
Federal officials said the coordinated operation focused on locating and detaining individuals with criminal histories, including those facing charges or convictions for violent offenses, driving under the influence and human smuggling.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin held a press conference in Dallas to announce the operation’s outcomes alongside several ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officials.
Participating officials included Dallas Field Office Director Miguel Vergara, Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford, acting San Antonio Field Office Director Joshua Johnson, acting El Paso Field Office Director Christopher McGregor and Harlingen Deputy Field Office Director Mellissa De Leon.
Mullin highlighted the coordination between federal agents and local authorities during the press conference.
“Lone Star Mission has been an incredible success, with the brave patriots of ICE arresting more than 4,100 illegal aliens across the state of Texas in ten days,” Mullin said. “Thanks to Texas law enforcement and our federal partners, over the course of this operation, we arrested murderers, sexual assailants, drunk drivers and alien smugglers. This operation shows exactly how important our state and local partnerships are for protecting American communities. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, ICE has been fully unleashed to go after criminal illegal aliens and make America safe again.”
In El Paso, agents arrested Victor Manuel Macias-Castro, a Mexican national identified by officials as a member of the La Linea Cartel, on Oct. 22. His criminal record includes convictions for conspiracy to enter, transport, or harbor aliens, along with illegal entry and illegal reentry.
According to DHS, Macias-Castro was arrested during a targeted enforcement operation since his criminal history includes: “a conviction for conspiracy to smuggle aliens.” Macias-Castro was transferred into the custody of federal law enforcement for prosecution on October 22, 2026.
DHS also provided the following details:
“On three separate occasions, in 2017, 2021, and 2022, Macias-Castro was arrested after illegally entering the country and was subsequently removed on the same day. He illegally reentered the country at an unknown time and place after being removed—a felony. Macias-Castro was issued a final order of removal on September 19, 2026. He received due process and will remain in ICE custody pending removal.”
Among those arrested during the initiative was Javier Hernandez Alcon, a Mexican citizen who had been deported twice previously. ICE agents arrested Hernandez Alcon in Liberty on Oct. 20. According to federal officials, his criminal history includes convictions for burglary involving forced entry into a residence and illegal reentry, as well as a prior arrest for capital murder.
Agents in Dallas arrested Orlando Aguilar, a Mexican national, on Oct. 24. Aguilar’s criminal record includes convictions for felony intoxication assault with a vehicle causing serious bodily injury and driving while intoxicated.
In Houston, ICE officers arrested Ramon Antonio Martinez, a Honduran citizen, on Oct. 23. Authorities stated Martinez is wanted in Honduras in connection with the alleged killing of a Honduran man alongside two other suspects.
In Zapata County, officers arrested Gerardo Daniel Rivera-Rivera, a Mexican citizen, on Oct. 24. Rivera-Rivera’s record includes convictions for felony sexual assault and illegal reentry.
ABC-7 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE headquarters to request an interview and comments and to learn how many of those more than 4,000 arrests took place in El Paso.
DHS sent us the following written statement:
“ICE makes custody determinations daily, on a case-by-case basis in accordance with U.S. law, and various factors to ensure their presence for immigration proceedings or removal from the United States. Despite a historic number of injunctions, DHS is working rapidly and overtime to remove these aliens from detention centers to their final destination—home.
Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.”
ABC-7 also reached out to the local ICE office and to the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Western District of Texas to learn how attorneys are handling all these cases here in El Paso; both said they are working to provide us with a response.
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