In its continuing immigration crackdown, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested an Indian couple for allegedly running a large human smuggling operation in Texas.
“An alien from India ran a large human smuggling operation in Texas. He and his spouse were apprehended at our Houston office by @ICEgov on charges of human smuggling, document fraud, and overstaying their visa,” the agency posted on X. “Human traffickers will be caught and held accountable.”
The agency did name the arrested individuals or give any details of their alleged activities. In fact, the post is no longer available on X and there is no explanation for its removal.
Read: Who is Odela Yashasvi Kothapalli? ‘Illegal’ Indian arrested in US child sex abuse case
The action appears to be part of continued enforcement actions by ICE, which has markedly stepped up interior immigration operations under the Trump administration, according to a NewsMax report.
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, it stated.
In Houston alone, previous operations have netted hundreds to thousands of criminal illegal aliens, including gang members, child predators, and other serious offenders, reflecting the agency’s intensified focus on interior enforcement, it said.
Supporters of the enforcement push point to dramatic increases in ICE arrests and removal actions under Trump, including early 2025 figures showing tens of thousands of enforcement arrests in just 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. But ICE has maintained its operational tempo through 2025 and into 2026, underscoring the Trump administration’s priority on strict immigration enforcement, according to NewsMax.

