ICE arrests 238 immigrants in single-day operation in Texas

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said its Harlingen, Texas, field office arrested 238 immigrants in a single-day enforcement operation in the Rio Grande Valley, describing it as the largest targeted enforcement action in the region, Fox News reported Wednesday.

The June 18 operation, carried out with law enforcement partners, resulted in the arrests of people with prior convictions including attempted kidnapping, sexual battery and drug possession, ICE said.

"The ICE mission continues to focus on enhancing public safety and restoring integrity to our nation's immigration system," Harlingen Field Office Director Juan Agudelo said in a statement.

Among those arrested was Manuel Morales-Geronimo, a Mexican national whom ICE identified as a member of the Paisas gang. The agency said he had prior convictions for assault causing bodily injury, controlled substance possession, marijuana possession, driving while intoxicated, illegal entry and three counts of illegal reentry.

ICE also identified Jose Alfredo Castillo-Mendoza, a Mexican national, among those arrested. The agency said he had prior convictions for attempted kidnapping, sexual battery and illegal reentry.

The announcement came as President Donald Trump defended immigration enforcement traffic stops after reports that the Department of Homeland Security had considered pausing most such stops.

Trump said on social media that traffic stops remain "one of ICE's most important and effective crime-fighting tools."