Twice-Deported Man with Prior Convictions Injures ICE Officer During Houston Arrest

A Salvadoran immigrant with a criminal history assaulted an ICE officer during an arrest operation in Houston on Monday, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The attack left the officer with burns to the face and a severe laceration requiring 13 stitches.

Walter Leonel Perez Rodriguez allegedly struck the officer with a metal coffee cup while resisting arrest, part of what DHS describes as a troubling nationwide trend of increasing violence against immigration enforcement personnel. The agency reports that assaults against Homeland Security officers have surged by 1,000 percent.

According to DHS records, Perez Rodriguez has a complex history of illegal entries and removals from the United States. He first entered the country unlawfully more than 15 years ago. Following a removal order issued by an immigration judge, he was deported in June 2013. After re-entering illegally, he was deported a second time in February 2020.

Beyond his immigration violations, Perez Rodriguez has amassed a criminal record that includes a conviction for sexual assault of a child under 17 years old, child fondling, and multiple DUI offenses. Repeat illegal re-entry into the United States constitutes a federal felony.

“This repeated criminal illegal alien is about to find out the hard way that there’s a new sheriff in town,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement addressing the incident. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, anyone who lays a hand on our ICE officers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

McLaughlin expressed concern over the increasing dangers faced by federal immigration officers, noting that “Our brave ICE officers are facing record-high assaults” while carrying out operations targeting “pedophiles and other depraved criminals to keep American families safe.”

The assault came amid heightened enforcement activity in the Houston area. ICE recently concluded a major 10-day operation in the region that resulted in more than 1,500 arrests. The operation, which ran from October 22-31, targeted individuals with serious criminal histories.

Bret Bradford, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Field Office Director, highlighted the significant outcomes of that operation. “Despite the conditions becoming increasingly dangerous for our officers as a result of the spread of violent political rhetoric and intentionally false information,” Bradford said officers successfully apprehended numerous dangerous individuals.

The October operation netted 17 documented gang members, 40 aggravated felons, one convicted murderer, and 13 sexual predators. Those arrested had collectively committed 115 aggravated assaults, 142 DWIs, 55 drug offenses, and 31 weapons offenses. Notably, 255 of those taken into custody had previously been deported from the United States at least once, and nearly one-third had already received removal orders from immigration judges.

Bradford emphasized that these arrests have likely prevented substantial harm to the community, stating they “prevented countless Houstonians from having to suffer from the nightmares and PTSD that come with being a victim of violent crime.”

The recent operation was part of a series of large-scale enforcement actions in Houston throughout 2024. Earlier this year, ICE conducted operations resulting in 822 arrests in August and 543 arrests during a combined February-March initiative.

Perez Rodriguez is currently in ICE custody. Officials stated that he “can no longer pose a threat to Americans” while detained. The case highlights ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement and the potential dangers faced by federal officers carrying out removal operations, particularly when targeting individuals with criminal backgrounds.