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Immigration officers arrest 680 illegal immigrants, including many with criminal records
Federal immigration agents have recently arrested more than 680 illegal immigrants who they say pose a threat to public safety and border security as part of a string of standard enforcement operations carried out across six states last week.
Approximately 510 of those individuals had criminal records in addition to lacking legal presence or lawful status to be in the U.S., Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Monday.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement branch of the Department of Homeland Security confirmed on Monday that a series of the operations took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Antonio and New York City.
"Of those arrested, approximately 75 percent were criminal aliens, convicted of crimes including, but not limited to, homicide, aggravated sexual abuse, sexual assault of a minor, lewd and lascivious acts with a child, indecent liberties with a minor, drug trafficking, battery, assault, DUI and weapons charges," Kelly said in a statement.
Those who illegally re-entered the country after being deported or who had been ordered removed from the interior of the U.S., but never left, were also among those arrested.
In an initial report of the busts, the Washington Post cited sources saying ICE had carried out community sweeps and launched traffic checkpoints to find random illegal immigrants. A department spokesman told the Washington Examiner that the reports were "false, dangerous and irresponsible" and a disservice to the immigrant community.
"These reports create mass panic and put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger. Any groups falsely reporting such activities are doing a disservice to those they claim to support," ICE said Friday.
Under former President Barack Obama's DHS, similar stings were ordered in early 2016, seizing hundreds of illegal immigrants that the Priority Enforcement Program deemed the highest threats to security.
Last week's move comes two weeks after President Trump signed an executive order directing immigration agents to fully implement the laws outlined in the Immigration and Nationality Act, prompting some to label the operations as an inaugural move to deport illegal aliens. Kelly did not deny that.
"President Trump has been clear in affirming the critical mission of DHS in protecting the nation and directed our department to focus on removing illegal aliens who have violated our immigration laws, with a specific focus on those who pose a threat to public safety, have been charged with criminal offenses, have committed immigration violations or have been deported and re-entered the country illegally," Kelly said.
Trump has promised to deport criminal illegal immigrants.
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