Federal immigration authorities arrested several illegal aliens on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., including a Brazilian man who told Border Hawk he had lived in the U.S. for more than two decades.
On Feb. 18, we joined Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore officers as they conducted an operation targeting a Guatemalan illegal with disturbing prior charges, including incest and sexual assault.
EXCLUSIVE: School Bus Driver Harasses ICE During Operation Near D.C.
ICE arrested illegal aliens on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., including a Brazilian who told Border Hawk he had been living in the US for 24 years
See our latest @ICEgov ride-along report
Article link ⏬ pic.twitter.com/9LHkJQmjlK
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) March 4, 2026
Simultaneously, an ICE ERO Fugitive Operations team conducted parallel enforcement in the same vicinity in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, Maryland.
ICE employs tactics that some view as “kidnapping” due to the speed with which they unfold.
Several vehicles conduct a traffic stop and officers quickly determine if a driver or occupant is the target they are seeking, or if they may be in the U.S. illegally.
They then take subjects into custody, move their vehicles when necessary, and then extract all parties from potentially volatile situations.
Later, in a safe environment, they complete the processing phase.
During one such stop, officers encountered 43-year-old Jose Saul Ochoa-Benitez, a twice-deported illegal alien from El Salvador.
Ochoa-Benitez illegally entered the U.S. a third time at an unknown location and date and was under a final order of removal when he was taken into custody.
ICE also busted Ailton Hermes De Souza, 46, a Brazilian male who told our reporter he had resided in the U.S. for 24 years but would gladly depart immediately for his home state of Paraná — after handcuffs had already been slapped on his wrists.
While De Souza was being taken into custody, a Montgomery County school bus driver pulled up and began cursing at ICE officers in a foreign language.
“A**hole,” was the only word we were able to distinguish.
The bus driver then sped off, apparently unconcerned that she had harassed federal law enforcement while operating a government vehicle.
De Souza was driving a work van at the time, and we attempted to contact the business to which it apparently belonged, but have received no reply at the time of this writing.
“De Souza was issued a notice to appear and will remain in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings,” ICE told Border Hawk.
While the primary target was not located, this operation netted four arrests.
See this report from our recent ride-along with ICE for Operation Lyft Off in Florida:
EXCLUSIVE: ICE Nails Illegal Alien Rideshare Drivers in Florida During ‘Operation Lyft Off’
Federal authorities are targeting illegal aliens who drive for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft in the state of Florida.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) has been… pic.twitter.com/OqRNmwDHTV
— Border Hawk (@BorderHawkNews) February 18, 2026
This report was filed by Border Hawk White House correspondent Wid Lyman.
