More than 100 arrested in Colony Ridge immigration raids, ICE says

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday said more than 100 people were arrested during an operation the day before in a sprawling, majority Latino housing development outside of Houston — but only released information about one of the arrests.

President Donald Trump’s immigration adviser, Tom Homan, told Fox News on Tuesday that the operation in Colony Ridge had resulted in “around 90” arrests. Federal immigration officials did not respond to the Tribune’s request for a list of the names, ages and charges against those who were arrested.

In a social media post, ICE said that 118 people had been arrested, including people with prior convictions that included homicide, theft and child sexual abuse.

Earlier Tuesday, an ICE spokesperson in Houston released information about one arrest: 39-year-old Florentin Chevez-Luna, who had been deported three times, according to ICE. He was arrested on a warrant for alleged repeated sexual abuse of a minor from November 2008 to November 2016, according to ICE.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducts routine, daily enforcement alongside our federal, state and local law enforcement partners throughout the Houston community to bolster public safety, national security, and border security,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.

The spokesperson said that the arrest of Chevez-Luna was highlighted because “we believe it’s of public significance that a suspected child predator was removed from the local community.”

When asked for details about any other arrests Monday in Colony Ridge, the spokesperson said, ”We don’t publicly release details on every arrest we make as a course of routine daily enforcement operations.”

The enforcement activity at Colony Ridge, about 30 miles northeast of Houston in neighboring Liberty County, was first revealed Monday by Gov. Greg Abbott. Abbott wrote on social media that Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and federal immigration authorities were “targeting criminals & illegal immigrants.”

Local media in Houston reported on anecdotal arrests witnessed by reporters, but the extent of the operation remained unclear a day later.

Abbott’s spokespersons referred requests for comment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, whose spokesperson referred questions to ICE.

ICE officials in Washington D.C. did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

In the Fox interview, Homan said that the operation was the “first phase” of a larger criminal investigation. He said that some of those arrested had warrants for their arrest while others were apprehended during traffic stops. He said there were several sexual predators arrested and at least one who was “convicted of either homicide or murder.”

Colony Ridge has drawn the ire of Texas Republicans — from anti-immigration activist groups to state lawmakers — for years for allegedly selling land to undocumented people. Some critics of the development claimed that it was overrun by cartel crime, an allegation that has been disputed by local and state police.

The U.S. Department of Justice under the Biden administration sued Colony Ridge’s developers for running an alleged predatory lending scheme. The lawsuit alleged the developers lured Latino homebuyers into high-interest, seller-financed mortgages that many defaulted on — then sold the same properties to other buyers.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Trump ally, also sued the developers over similar allegations.

The developers have denied wrongdoing, and both lawsuits remain pending.

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