An illegal immigrant was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers after entering their Houston office parking lot with a knife and crack pipe, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.
ICE confirmed that Jose Andres Rodriguez-Torres willingly identified himself as Mexican when authorities approached him.
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When he slid to the ground, ICE authorities discovered a sheathed knife at his waist and arrested him.
Another search turned up a glass pipe commonly used to inhale crack cocaine.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denounced the incident, describing it as a sobering reminder of the hazards officers confront on a daily basis.
“A criminal illegal alien — released by the Biden Administration and previously removed four times — armed with a knife in a restricted parking lot outside an ICE office in Houston,” McLaughlin said.
“These are the threats our officers face every day. Violence against federal law enforcement must end.”
The Mexican citizen was previously apprehended by cops in Seattle in October 2024 following a burglary arrest but was released, according to ICE records.
According to ICE records, Rodriguez-Torres has illegally entered the United States five times, making him a repeat offender under federal law, including one in 2012, three in 2014, and another when he reentered the country without inspection on an unknown date.
Houston is home to one of the largest ICE field offices in the country.
Rodriguez-Torres’ arrest comes as statistics show that threats and violence against ICE officers have increased by more than 1,000% in recent years.
Rodriguez-Torres will stay in ICE detention awaiting removal procedures.
