A two-week operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego county resulted in the arrest of 84 individuals.
Most of these individuals were either previously convicted criminals, had been issued final deportation orders, had been previously removed and returned illegally, or were in violation of immigration law, said Greg Archambeault, director of the San Diego ICE field office.
“We will continue our efforts targeting public safety threats linked to immigration violators, while seeking to ultimately deport at-large criminal targets and other immigration fugitives who pose a threat to our communities,” stated Archambeault in a news release.
Out of the 84 people arrested, 25 had prior convictions, including sex crimes or weapons and assault charges, the agency informed.
“Those arrests reflect the vital work our officers do every day to protect the nation, uphold public safety and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls”, added Archambeault.
Most of the 70 men and 14 women arrested were from Mexico, and the arrests also included people from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, China, and Brazil, among other countries.
The agency highlighted some of the cases in their announcement, including that of a 52-year-old Mexican man who had been previously convicted on child cruelty and drug trafficking charges, and who had been deported twice before, as well as that of a 38-year-old man from Mexico who has been removed from the U.S. four times and whose criminal convictions include drug trafficking and driving under the influence.
Three people will be charged with illegal re-entry, and the rest will be returned to their country of origin. Those who already have a removal order issued against them will be deported immediately, and the others will have to appear before an immigration judge, said ICE.
Similar operations were also carried out across the country in cities such as Los Angeles – where 150 people were arrested – along with dozens more in places like Oklahoma, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
There was a similar raid in San Diego back in March, when 114 people were arrested, of whom 50 had criminal history and another 7 had re-entered the country after being deported.
