Three illegal aliens from El Salvador were apprehended by Houston Police Department officers after reportedly attempting to meet with underage girls. Officials said the arrests were part of an ongoing sting operation targeting dating apps.
Abner Ruiz, Carlos Gomez, and Erick Menjivar were detained earlier this week by Houston Police Department detectives for online solicitation of a juvenile, Fox 26 Houston said. The three illegal aliens from El Salvador allegedly used the dating app Jaumo to interact with girls aged 14 to 16. One of the males is also charged with leaving in a vehicle and failing to stop and offer aid after crashing into a gate and injuring a pedestrian, according to the District Court judge.
“Houston police confirm that the three were arrested in separate incidents as part of an ongoing operation,” Fox 26’s Abagail Dye reported. “HPD did not say they are targeting undocumented immigrants.”
Immigration detainers were issued to three Salvadoran nationals by Houston Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) personnel working in the Harris County jail. Fox 26 carried the following statements from ERO officials:
Carlos Gomez
“Carlos Murcia Gomez is a 33-year-old previously deported criminal alien from El Salvador who illegally entered the United States Oct. 19, 2012. An immigration judge ordered Murcia Gomez removed from the U.S. Feb. 20, 2020, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported him to El Salvador March 2, 2020. On an unknown date, Murcia Gomez illegally reentered the U.S. and wasn’t encountered again by U.S. immigration officials until July 17, 2025, when ICE lodged an immigration detainer on him with the Harris County Jail following his arrest for online solicitation of a minor. In addition to his current criminal charges, Murcia Gomez was convicted of assaulting a family member Aug. 10, 2015.”
Erick Menjivar
“Erick Omar Lara Menjivar is a 30-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador who illegally entered the United States July 25, 2018, near San Ysidro, California. He was arrested the same day by the U.S. Border Patrol and released July 28, 2018, pending disposition of his immigration proceedings. Lara Menjivar’s immigration case was dismissed by an immigration judge Aug. 19, 2024, after the federal government exercised prosecutorial discretion pursuant to the immigration enforcement priorities at the time. ICE lodged an immigration detainer on Lara Menjivar with the Harris County Jail July 18, 2025, following his arrest for online solicitation of a minor.” (Emphasis added by Breitbart)
Abner Ruiz
“Abner Martinez Ruiz is a 37-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador who illegally entered the United States on an unknown date. Martinez Ruiz wasn’t encountered by U.S. immigration officials until July 17, 2025, when ICE officers lodged an immigration detainer on him with the Harris County Jail following his arrest for online solicitation of a minor.”
According to officials, when Gomez arrived at the meetup place, he observed police approaching and escaped in his vehicle. “He’s alleged to have driven off at a high rate of speed, recklessly, and run stop signs before colliding with the closed gate, which hit the pedestrian,” the judge stated during a probable cause hearing. Judge Lance Long of the 183rd Criminal District Court will preside over the proceedings.
Houston Crime Stoppers’ Andy Kahn told Fox 26 that Gomez fled the scene and slammed into a gate, injuring a pedestrian. He claimed that the pedestrian “now has multiple bodily injuries, all because Carlos Gomez wanted to have sex with an underage child.”
Court records obtained by Breitbart Texas reveal Gomez had past criminal offenses dating back to 2015. These charges include assault on a family member and felony assault for restricting breathing.
According to court records, Menjivar has previously been charged with disorderly conduct with a handgun and assault on a family member. He also had a probation violation from a previous assault and bodily injury allegation.
Ruiz doesn’t appear to have any prior felony charges in Harris County.
Kahn told Fox 26 that the three males used Juamo, a dating app, to connect with girls aged 14, 16, and 14. The app enables users to message other members without “matching” or consenting. “The phone is now a weapon, a tool, an arsenal for offenders like these to get ahold of juvenile victims for sexual offenses,” warns Kahan.
In a separate case this week, Livingston, Texas, police officers arrested 31-year-old Randy Newman of Goodrich, Texas, for online solicitation of a minor, according to Fox 26 Digital. According to Livingston police, Newman drove to Matthews Street to meet with someone he thought was a 14-year-old female. At the scene, police arrested him.
According to Polk County jail records, Newman was freed the next day on a $30,000 bond.
