Latest News on Immigration Arrests Locally

A man on the U.S. Terrorist Watchlist was arrested Tuesday in Fayette County.

An officer with the Lavaca County Sheriff’s Department made the arrest of Alexander Flores-Rivera on Highway 290 in Fayette County near Ledbetter. Flores-Rivera was identified as a member of the international criminal gang Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) The officer that made the arrest was part of the multicounty law enforcement opperation involving the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“This operation is another example of why multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional cooperation is so important. Our deputies work alongside local, state, and federal law enforcement partners every day, and those partnerships allow us to share information, identify individuals who may pose a threat to our communities,” said Lavaca County Sheriff Steven E. Greenwell.

On the Other Hand ...

At the same time clearly dangerous people who are in the county illegally are being taken into custody, there is also growing frustration from many locals about the arrests of undocumented individuals who are not posing a threat.

Authorities confirmed that a La Grange pastor was arrested and transferred to ICE custody last week after a traffic stop. Authorities say he was arrested when it was found he was living in the country illegally and had no license or insurance. People who know the pastor told The Record he is a husband and father and has been in the U.S. for 15 years. He currently remains detained in an ICE facility in Houston.

Two construction workers on their way to work for a subcontractor one morning at the new Hostyn church this summer were also arrested and transferred to ICE custody after a traffic stop revealed they were undocumented immigrants.

Authorities say that those detained who do not have prior criminal records are being given prioritized court dates.