ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations arrested 443 criminal illegal aliens last week despite local authorities interference

Agents with Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) across the country arrested hundreds of criminal illegal immigrants last week during a week-long enforcement action. From Colorado and Wyoming to New England, agents arrested 443 illegal immigrants who had committed other crimes or had previous immigration violations.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 42 criminal illegal aliens in Colorado and Wyoming over a 5-day period that ended on Wednesday. A press release from the agency said, “Most of the aliens targeted by ERO deportation officers during this enforcement action had prior criminal histories; nine have pending criminal charges only.”

The crimes committed by these individuals include assault, domestic violence, sexual assault, and drug offenses, among others.

“Our ICE officers still managed to find and detain many dangerous criminals despite the Colorado law that prohibits local law enforcement jurisdictions from cooperating with ICE,” said John Fabbricatore, acting field office director for ERO Denver. “We continually work to keep our communities safe from Colorado’s misguided priorities of protecting criminal aliens at the expense of its citizens.”

Another operation in North Texas and Oklahoma nabbed 49 illegal immigrants, 33 of which had prior criminal histories. Eleven of the immigrants arrested had no criminal history, while five had pending criminal charges. The crimes committed included assault, domestic violence, sexual assault of a child, burglary, and driving while intoxicated, among others.

In Southern Texas, 45 criminal aliens were arrested in and around San Antonio and Austin. An ICE press release stated that more than 88% of those arrested had prior criminal histories, including fondling a child, driving under the influence, assault, and drug-related crimes, among others.

“Four of those arrested were immigration fugitives with a final order of removal; 27 others illegally re-entered the United States after having been previously deported, which is a felony. The remaining 14 arrests were processed as removable aliens,” the press release stated.

Other offices shared similar statistics.

In Michigan and Ohio, agents arrested 46 illegal immigrants, most of whom had prior criminal histories. The previous crimes included attempted rape, attempted sexual assault of a minor, burglary, and drug-related crimes, among others.

Moving east, agents from the Philadelphia field office arrested 45 illegal immigrants in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia. Again, most of those arrested had prior criminal histories including driving other the influence and sex-related crimes.

Agents in New Jersey arrested 52 illegal immigrants after targeting at-large criminals that had been released into the community due to local policies. The New Jersey office did not specify what previous crimes had been committed, but did list additional illegal immigrants wanted by ICE.

Another week-long enforcement action in New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island nabbed 82 illegal immigrants. About half of those arrested “had been previously released from local law enforcement custody with an active detainer,” the office said in a press release. Several had committed previous crimes, including sex-related offenses, weapon-related crimes, and assault.

Finally, ICE’s Boston office arrested 80 individuals across New England, including in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. A majority of the arrests included illegal immigrants with a prior history of crime, including violent offenses and child sex crimes.

“In years past, most of these individuals would have been turned over to ICE by local authorities upon their release from jail based on ICE detainers. When non-cooperative jurisdictions, including those within the six states of New England do not honor ICE detainers, these individuals, who often have significant criminal histories, are released onto the street, presenting a potential public safety threat,” said a press release from the office.