Federal agents arrested dozens of suspected illegal aliens and seized tens of thousands of dollars in cash during a raid at a Texas strip club linked to human trafficking and unlawful employment.
The raid was a joint operation between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with support from state and local law enforcement.
They executed a criminal search warrant at Chicas Bonitas Cabaret in Dallas on Friday, ICE announced.
Officials confirmed that 41 illegal aliens were taken into custody.
Those arrested included 29 who were working at the club illegally.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Dallas is now processing those arrested for administrative immigration violations.
Authorities noted that several of those detained had prior criminal convictions.
Several of them were repeat offenses.
Julios Cesar Martinez, 47, of Mexico, was convicted three times of assault causing bodily injury and DUI.
Victor Manuel Manzano-Ramirez, 47, of Mexico, was convicted of DUI and twice caught illegally entering the U.S.
Gustavo Rojas-Garda, 44, of Mexico, was convicted of DUI.
Genaro Diaz-Perez, 44, of Mexico, was convicted of prostitution.
Juan Carlos Salas Medina, 30, of Mexico, is accused of illegally entering the U.S. 10 separate times.
Medina was also convicted of aggravated assault of a family member, drug possession, and DUI.
In addition to the arrests, $30,000 in U.S. cash and business records were seized as part of the ongoing criminal probe.
Travis Pickard, HSI Dallas special agent in charge, said the operation shows the agency’s commitment to rooting out trafficking operations that endanger communities.
“Working in conjunction with our federal and local partners and leveraging HSI’s unique investigative authorities, we were able to disrupt the suspected trafficking operation at this cabaret and are working to identify potential victims,” Pickard said.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Local business owners told FOX 4 Dallas they had not noticed anything unusual at the location prior to the raid.
However, they said activity at the club has slowed dramatically since the arrests.
The raid comes as the Trump administration continues its aggressive crackdown on human trafficking, illegal immigration, and cartel-linked criminal networks operating inside the United States.
READ MORE – 120 Illegal Aliens Arrested During Major Highway Crackdown in Oklahoma
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