Roughly 90 illegal migrants were arrested in and around Colony Ridge, Texas, a largely Hispanic development outside Houston, during an operation targeting criminal and illegal migrants.

Early Monday morning, Gov. Greg Abbott announced on X that Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers and special agents were assisting Homeland Security Investigations with the operation after months of planning.

“Border czar” Tom Homan, sat down with Fox News after he joined the operation and said it was part of a “larger criminal investigation.”

While Homan could not reveal too many details about the investigation, he referred to the dozens of arrests Monday as “phase one.”

Law enforcement units are parked outside of a residence in Houston, Texas. (Fox News)

“We are grateful for the efforts of Governor Abbott, Tom Homan and all those involved in rooting out criminal illegals in Texas,” Harris said in a statement. “In fact, DPS officers have been working throughout Colony Ridge for more than two years. They know who the bad guys are, so we are fully supportive of these efforts. We also know that Colony Ridge remains one of the safest communities of its size anywhere in Texas, and we are proud of our residents and their desire to make this community a vibrant, happy, and safe place to live.”

Last week, three illegal migrants who had been deported at least four other times were arrested near Colony Ridge, after deputies found 350 pounds of meth, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. 

On Feb 12, deputies conducted a traffic stop during an investigation into the distribution of large amounts of methamphetamines. 

The driver of the van was identified as Gerson Lopez Zuniga and the two passengers identified by authorities as Cruz Isidro Sandoval and Adan Aguirre Arzate. 

Among those arrested, ICE tells Fox News, was Florentin Chevez-Luna, a 39-year-old three-time previously deported criminal alien from El Salvador. ICE Homeland Security Investigations and Texas DPS took him into custody in Plum Grove, Texas. According to ICE, he had a criminal arrest warrant for alleged repeated sexual abuse of a minor over an eight-year period from November 2008 to November 2016.

According to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, one of the passengers admitted to possession of a large amount of meth at a camper trailer. 

Investigators said they located 12 “Iceberg Lettuce” boxes that contained approximately 156 kilograms (344 pounds) of methamphetamines.