An Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation that lasted from June until September around Lewisville Lake resulted hundreds of arrests, including two alleged gang members.
ICE Dallas began an initiative on June 27 to target peak boating season at Lewisville Lake. By the end of the initiative on Labor Day, ICE had made 121 arrests.
According to a press release from ICE Friday, two of the arrests were people that allegedly self-admitted to being members of Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang that has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States State Department.
ICE worked with various state and federal agencies, which aimed to allow local law enforcement to spend more time enforcing boating and safety laws.
“This operation highlights the success we can achieve when federal, state and local law enforcement partners work together toward a common public safety mission,” said ICE Dallas Field Office Director Miguel Vergara. “ICE is committed to upholding the law, enforcing our nation’s immigration laws and removing individuals who pose a threat to our communities. These arrests reflect our continued focus on public safety and the rule of law.”
According to ICE, the individuals arrested allegedly had criminal histories of assault, family violence, assault causing bodily injury, theft, burglary, sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child, evading arrest, driving while intoxicated, boating while intoxicated, criminal mischief, criminal negligence and various traffic-related offenses.
ICE claimed the mission “focused on identifying unlawfully present foreign nationals and assisting in lake-related investigations.”
The two people arrested who allegedly self-admitted to being members of Tren de Aragua include 24-year-old William Josue Ordonez Vasquez of Venezuela and 22-year-old Edwin Josue Cabrera-Zelaya of Honduras.
According to ICE, both individuals were under investigation by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for allegedly operating an illegal livery operation on Lewisville Lake.
Illegal livery operations include the unregulated renting out of boats or vehicles, or transporting of passengers.
According to ICE, a similar illegal livery operation was connected to the death of an Air Force cadet over the 2025 Memorial Day weekend at Grapevine Lake.
“Illegal livery operations can create significant public safety risks because they may bypass safety, inspection and insurance and operator requirements,” said ICE.
Four other arrests during the summer operation include suspects who had allegedly been previously deported from the U.S. or violated the law.
- Jose Almendares Suazo, 30, a criminal illegal alien from Honduras who had been previously removed from the U.S. Almendares Suazo has a prior conviction for assault causing bodily injury, as well as a prior arrest for assault involving family violence. He was transferred U.S. Marshals Service custody.
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Diego Gomez Hernandez, 22, a Mexican criminal illegal alien. During his arrest, officers encountered a 13-year-old girl in his vehicle; they contacted her legal guardian and took her into custody. The Lewisville Police Department also responded to conduct follow-up for potential violations of Texas law.
- Luis Alfrando Digueros Quintanilla, 23, Guatemalan citizen and previously removed noncitizen. Digueros Quintanilla has a prior arrest for felony sexual assault of a child out of Dallas County.
- Axon Solomon Mejia Ortega, 35, Mexican citizen unlawfully present in the United States. Mejia Ortega has a prior arrest for felony indecency with a child by sexual contact out of Dallas County.
“This operation allowed our agency to use limited resources more effectively,” said Vergara. “The results speak for themselves: 121 arrests, public safety threats off the streets and stronger coordination among federal, state and local law enforcement partners.”
