LUBBOCK, TX – Lubbock residents are raising their eyebrows after seeing a noticeable increase in U.S. ICE officers in the city.
A photo circulating on social media shows ICE agents and Homeland Security personnel outside La Palapa, a Mexican restaurant on Slide Road, on Sunday, Jan. 26. However, no arrests were reported at the time.
ICE Agents seen at La Palapa Mexican Restaurant in Lubbock on Sunday, Jan. 26
(Credit: facebook.com/gabygutierrez9295)
Public records show 3 people in Lubbock were taken into ICE custody, but jail rosters do not show any additional criminal charges. The records also do not specify where the individuals were detained or what led to their arrests.
The recent ICE activity in Lubbock is part of a broader crackdown across Texas. Law enforcement has also been active in major cities such as San Antonio, Houston, Brownsville, McAllen, and El Paso. On Sunday, ICE announced it had arrested 956 people in nationwide operations.
The operation follows President Donald Trump’s legislative push on immigration policy. In addition to the ICE raids, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the deployment of over 400 soldiers from the Texas Tactical Border Force to the U.S.-Mexico border to support Border Patrol operations. C-130 aircraft and Chinook helicopters have also been sent to assist with border security as Abbott looks to bolster state efforts in response to the ongoing immigration debate.
While it is still unclear if the ICE activity in Lubbock is part of a larger operation or a targeted effort, the increased sightings of agents in and around Lubbock County is the start of an extensive crackdown on illegal immigration in Texas.
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