MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — A 60-year-old illegal alien from Mexico who has been deported from the United States twice and has a prior conviction for attempted homicide was arrested over Memorial Day weekend after allegedly opening fire on his neighbors with an assault rifle, ICE announced.
Juan Ayala Montero was taken into custody following his arrest on May 24 by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which participates in ICE’s 287(g) program — a federal-local partnership that allows designated officers to confirm immigration status and lodge detainers on illegal aliens booked into local jails. A designated immigration officer from the sheriff’s office quickly confirmed Ayala’s status and lodged an immigration detainer to prevent his release on bond.
“The arrest and placement of an immigration detainer on this violent criminal illegal alien is another example of the positive impact that the 287(g) program has on increasing public safety in our local communities,” said Gabriel Martinez, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director. “By participating in the program, it provides our state and local law enforcement partners with another tool to prevent dangerous criminal illegal aliens like Ayala from being released back into the community where they will likely reoffend.”
Ayala’s criminal record in the United States includes convictions for attempted homicide and criminal trespass. An immigration judge ordered him removed on Aug. 31, 1999, and he was deported on Aug. 30, 2000. He illegally re-entered the country and was encountered again on Jan. 4, 2006, when the Dallas Police Department arrested him for a local disturbance. ICE took custody and deported him to Mexico that same day.
Ayala illegally re-entered the United States a third time on an unknown date and evaded detection until his arrest on May 24, 2026. Re-entry after removal is a federal felony under 8 U.S.C. § 1326, carrying penalties of up to 20 years for those with aggravated felony records.
ICE’s Houston field office covers 56 counties across Southeast Texas, stretching along the Texas Gulf Coast from Beaumont to Corpus Christi and from Houston/Galveston out to Waco. Ayala faces local criminal charges stemming from the shooting as well as potential federal prosecution for illegal re-entry; his immigration detainer will hold him in custody pending the outcome of both proceedings.