Two persons on Texas’ 10 Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List were caught as part of a major operation led by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS). According to Click2Houston, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) arrested Jorge Dionicio Hernandez, 33, and Omar David Zavala, 30, in Houston and Mesquite.
Since January 2022, Harris County has been seeking Hernandez, a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, for indecency with a child through sexual contact. Special agents from the DPS Criminal Investigations Division, US Homeland Security Investigations, and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office collaborated to make the arrest. Hernandez had already been charged with many offenses of driving while intoxicated dating back to 2009, and he was deported from the United States before being caught again in 2021 for supplying a counterfeit driver license or identification card. To promote community cooperation in law enforcement efforts, a Crime Stoppers reward will be provided for information leading to his arrest.
Zavala, a Salvadoran national, has been under arrest in Harris County since 2022 due to allegations of sexual assault, terroristic threat, and obstruction/retaliation. DPS Special Agents from the Texas Anti-Gang (TAG) Center in Houston, the US Marshals Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, additional DPS Special Agents from the Special Investigations Section in Garland, the US Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force, and the Dallas Police Department Drone Unit all worked together to apprehend him. Zavala’s previous interactions with law enforcement include repeated arrests by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2014, followed by his deportation from the United States in 2015.
The Governor’s Public Safety Office funds Texas Crime Stoppers, a program that rewards tips leading to arrests. In 2024, DPS partnership with other agencies resulted in the capture of 46 fugitives, including 17 sex offenders, 10 gang members, and four criminal illegal immigrants, with a $32,000 reward for actionable leads. Informants who wish to assist can phone the Crime Stoppers hotline, submit a web tip through the DPS website, or leave a Facebook tip. All tips are anonymous, and informants are assigned a unique identifying number rather than their identities, according to a DPS announcement.
The DPS warns the public not to attempt to apprehend identified fugitives due to the possible danger they pose. Special agents continue to collaborate with local and federal law enforcement agencies to apprehend criminal illegal immigrants and update the Texas Ten Most Wanted Criminal Illegal Immigrants List. The current list, along with images, is posted on the DPS website for the public to view and help report sightings or information that could lead to an arrest.