ICE Arrests Two Foreign Fugitives Wanted for Violent Crimes in Texas

DALLAS, TX — Federal immigration officers in Texas have arrested two foreign fugitives wanted for violent crimes, including a Venezuelan man accused of a Russian roulette-style attack and an Egyptian man convicted of sexual abuse.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrests in separate cases this month.

On Aug. 14, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers in Dallas arrested 31-year-old Raul Enrique Pargas Rodriquez, a Venezuelan national wanted in his home country for attempted aggravated femicide. Authorities said Pargas allegedly lured a woman to his workshop in 2021, and "snapped into a violent tirade," insulting, attacking and hitting her. He then allegedly took out a black pistol, pointed it at her, and placed it on her head before removing the bullets and replacing them, then pointing the gun at her head again. A short time later, the victim managed to escape while Pargas fled to the United States. He was first apprehended by Border Patrol near Eagle Pass in 2022 and later released pending immigration proceedings. He was taken into custody in Plano with help from the U.S. Marshals and Texas Department of Public Safety.

“This dangerous criminal alien allegedly beat, demeaned and tortured a young woman in some twisted version of Russian roulette and then fled to the United States when his attempt to murder her fell apart,” said ERO Dallas acting Field Office Director Joshua Johnson.

In a separate case, ICE officers in Corpus Christi arrested 35-year-old Ahmed Mohamed Yasser Salama of Egypt on Aug. 19. Salama, who entered the U.S. on a student visa in 2017, was first arrested in Alabama in 2019 for first-degree felony sexual abuse. He was later released on an immigration bond in 2021 under Biden administration policies that allowed such releases, despite a pending felony charge.

Salama pleaded guilty in 2024 to a lesser charge of harassment and was sentenced to 60 days in jail. ICE said he continued reporting to authorities until an immigration judge denied his request to end removal proceedings in February.

“Salama was clearly a threat to public safety, but the policies at the time allowed him to be released and possibly reoffend,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Harlingen Field Office Director Juan Agudelo. “Being allowed to enter the United States is a privilege. Anyone who violates their terms of admission by committing egregious felonies will not be allowed to remain here. We will find you, arrest you and deport you.”

Both men remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of their immigration cases.