(The Center Square) – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents based in Houston continue to arrest and remove violent criminals illegally in the U.S. In several targeted operations, agents arrested more than 600 criminal foreign nationals, including scores who were previously deported multiple times, confirmed gang members, sex offenders and fugitives.

ICE agents recently removed Orbelin Benitez-Carbajal, a criminal Mexican national previously deported and convicted of manslaughter. He was returned to Mexico last week after previously being deported in 2014 and illegally reentering the country last January. His criminal record includes manslaughter and assault in Travis County, driving while intoxicated in Austin and illegal entry in west Texas in January 2024.

An-eight time removed Mexico national, Baltazar Pantoja Calderon, was also removed from the U.S. this month. He was convicted on charges of kidnapping, driving while intoxicated, illegal entry and resisting arrest. Each time he illegally entered the U.S., he was caught and returned to Mexico, including this month.

Another Mexican national, Leticia Caballero Guadarrama, was removed to Mexico this month after having been removed six times going back to 2002. Her criminal record includes 14 convictions, including six for DWIs, six for theft or larceny, and two for refusing to provide identification to law enforcement.

In his more than 30-year career, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford said few things “surprise” him, but Guadarrama’s actions were “shocking. After repeatedly entering the country illegally and getting behind the wheel intoxicated, she has victimized hard-working Texans over and over again by stealing their money and property and then attempted to avoid accountability by refusing to provide law enforcement with identification after she was caught. By carelessly flaunting our system of laws, her actions endangered everyone in the community and have wasted significant taxpayer-funded government resources.”

ICE-Houston agents also removed Mexican national Ariel Nunez Figueroa this month who was wanted by Mexican authorities for kidnapping and organized crime. He was allegedly involved in the 2014 murder of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa Teachers’ College, authorities said. He illegally entered the U.S. as a gotaway at an unknown location on an unknown date. Last September, Interpol notified ICE that he was potentially living in the Houston area. ICE agents tracked him down and took him into custody. An immigration judge ordered his removal in January.

“For nearly eleven years, this foreign fugitive evaded authorities while the family and friends of those 43 students who were brutally murdered patiently awaited justice for their loved ones,” Bradford said. “Thanks to outstanding teamwork by ICE, Interpol and the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, we were able to successfully track him down and remove him to Mexico to face prosecution for his alleged crimes.”

In a targeted removal operation, ICE agents arrested nine criminal foreign nationals in the Houston area convicted of a range of sex offenses and other charges. They include a three-time deported Salvadoran charged with continuous sexual assault of a minor; a three-time deported Mexican national convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor; Cuban nationals convicted of aggravated sexual assault, sexual battery with a weapon, kidnapping; Vietnamese nationals convicted of abduction with intent to extort money for an immoral purpose, illegal possession of a weapon, burglary, and gross sexual imposition with a minor under age 13; a Mexican national convicted of indecency with a minor; a Philippine national convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a minor and cocaine possession.

In a separate one-week operation, working with multiple federal, state and local law enforcement partners, ICE agents arrested 646 illegal foreign nationals, including 543 who’d been charged or convicted of criminal offenses while in the country illegally, including seven documented gang members. Federal agents executed 71 criminal arrest warrants and arrested 543 criminal illegal foreign nationals.

Those arrested include:

140 charged or convicted of an aggravated felony or other violent crimes like homicide, aggravated assault, or domestic violence;

34 charged or convicted of sex offenses, including aggravated sexual assault of a minor, possession of child pornography, or rape;

38 convicted of illegal firearms offenses, including unlawful carrying of a firearm, alien in possession of a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm;

52 charged or convicted of illicit narcotics offenses, including drug trafficking, or possession of a controlled substance;

51 charged or convicted of property crimes like burglary or theft;

93 charged or convicted of driving while intoxicated.

“In recent years, some of the world’s most dangerous fugitives, transnational gang members and criminal aliens have taken advantage of the crisis at our nation’s southern border to illegally enter the U.S.,” Bradford said. “After illegally entering the country, many of these criminal aliens have gone on to commit violent crime and reign terror on law-abiding residents.”

Their arrests, he said, have sent a “resounding message to transnational criminal organizations everywhere that the law enforcement community in the Texas Gulf Coast is more united than ever and will not rest until we’ve eradicated these criminal elements from the country.”

(The Center Square) – The Georgia Senate passed a bill 54-2 on Tuesday that would require K-8 schools to have a policy on cellphone use.

House Bill 340 bans electronic devices from “bell to bell,” with some exceptions for students with learning disabilities or medical issues.

“With cellphone use among children at an all-time high, we must take action to protect the integrity of our classrooms,” said Rep. Scott Hilton, R-Peachtree Corners. “Studies overwhelmingly show that limiting phone access significantly increases students’ focus, reduces distractions and fosters a more effective learning environment. HB340 is a step in the right direction toward ensuring that classrooms remain a place for education where teachers can teach, and our brightest minds can learn.”

School systems can decide how they want to store the devices, according to the bill.

High schools are not addressed in the legislation, but it doesn’t keep school districts from enacting cellphone policies for grades 9-12, Hilton said during a committee meeting.

Several education groups backed the bill.

“Research shows that distraction-free classrooms lead to greater student engagement, stronger social interactions with peers and teachers and improved academic performance,” said Miranda Williams, Southeast legislative director for ExcelinEd in Action, in a General Assembly news release. “This important first step paves the way for future legislation to ensure distraction-free learning environments for all Georgia students.”

The House of Representatives passed the bill 143-29 on March 4.

(The Center Square) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he returned nearly $500 million to the U.S. Treasury because the money had “too many strings attached.”

The two-term Republican governor mentioned he’d recently met with Elon Musk and the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency about $330 million that was allocated for Florida projects. He also said the grant would have required the state to check tailpipe emissions, something that DeSantis said he would never do.

DeSantis said $170 million for various Florida-based nongovernment organizations was also part of the rejected funds. His first attempt to send the money back was during President Joe Biden’s administration, but it took a conversation with Musk to get the money returned to the U.S. Treasury. 

“It’s rare that states do that because they’re usually like ‘gimme, gimme, gimme,’ but the reality is we all have a role in trying to change the fiscal trajectory of this country,” DeSantis said. “The reality is what we’re doing is unsustainable.”

DeSantis mentioned the return of the funds as he announced $389 million in water quality improvement grants at an event in Palm Bay on Tuesday.

The grants are divided among $189 million in Water Quality Improvement grants and $55 million in Alternative Water Supply grants, along with $100 million for the new Indian River Lagoon Protection Program, $25 million through the Caloosahatchee Watershed Grant Program and $20 million through the Biscayne Bay Water Quality Improvement Grant Program. These grants will aid in restoration efforts. 

“Florida’s support for water quality projects is making a real impact in reducing nutrient pollution and improving the health of our waterways,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Alexis Lambert at the news conference. “Governor DeSantis and the Legislature have made these investments a priority to provide needed resources for local leaders to take on infrastructure projects that will improve the environment for future generations.”

The Department of Environment Protection received 348 project submissions worth $2.2 billion this year. State officials approved 31 of these projects as high priorities. State officials say these efforts could remove 1.1 million pounds of nitrogen and 286,000 pounds of phosphorous from agricultural runoff and other sources that can both cause harmful algae blooms. 

The Indian River Lagoon on the Atlantic Coast has 25 water quality projects worth $100 million under the program. The Caloosahatchee River and estuary in southwest Florida will have four projects, while eight projects will be done in Biscayne Bay in the Miami area.  

Officials have also approved 14 projects under the Alternative Water Supply Grant Program that would produce 40 million gallons per day within two years. All of these projects will help with reclaimed water use, recharging Florida’s vital aquifers and promoting water conservation.

In DeSantis’ two terms, the state environmental protection agency has awarded nearly $2.9 billion to 1,098 community projects for water quality. These projects are expected by state officials to reduce nitrogen by 4.6 million pounds and phosphorus by more than 893,000 pounds.