ICE Arrests Indian National and Spouse in Houston for Large-Scale Human Smuggling Operations

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrest of an Indian national and his spouse at its Houston office on Wednesday.

The agency stated that an individual from India ran a large human smuggling operation in Texas.

The couple was apprehended at the ICE office in Houston on charges of human smuggling, document fraud, and overstaying their visas.

In a statement posted by the agency, it emphasized: “Human traffickers will be caught and held accountable.”

The announcement highlights continued enforcement actions by ICE, which has markedly increased interior immigration operations under the Trump administration. Nationwide arrest figures and field operations have surged since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025, with ICE reporting thousands of arrests of individuals with criminal convictions or charges as part of broader efforts to enforce immigration law and public safety.

In Houston alone, previous operations have netted hundreds to thousands of criminal illegal aliens, including gang members and child predators, reflecting the agency’s intensified focus on interior enforcement.

Supporters of the current enforcement strategy point to dramatic increases in ICE arrests and removal actions under the Trump administration. Early 2025 figures showed tens of thousands of enforcement arrests within weeks and increased detention capacity aimed at removing unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S. interior.

However, the agency’s aggressive posture has drawn persistent criticism from Democrats and immigrant rights advocates who argue that the expanded enforcement sweep goes beyond targeting serious criminals and disrupts immigrant communities. They have pressured both ICE and the administration to scale back interior raids and focus resources more narrowly.

Despite this pressure, ICE has maintained its operational tempo through 2025 and into 2026, underscoring the Trump administration’s priority on strict immigration enforcement.