By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Feb. 14, 2017: Caribbean and Latin migrants were among 680 immigrants iced by U.S. immigration agents during a week-long raid last week.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) insists those targeted are only immigration fugitives, re-entrants and at-large criminal immigrants even as advocates and immigrants voiced concern and fear over the ramped up raids on the heels of Donald Trump’s executive order that vastly expanded ICE’s deportation priorities.
Among the 680 netted in raids in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and San Antonio was a citizen of Jamaica. The Jamaican immigrant, according to US ICE, was among 41 nabbed in New York City. He had a criminal conviction for first degree sexual assault of a child under the age of 11.
Most of the others arrested were from Latin America, primarily Mexico.
In NYC, a citizen of El Salvador with a criminal conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering and self-admitted MS-13 gang member was iced along with a Mexican migrant, who was also convicted for first degree sexual assault of a victim under the age of 11.
In Georgia and the Carolinas, 190 immigrants were nabbed including three Mexican nationals who were also wanted for crimes that ranged from murder to cocaine trafficking and child sexual abuse.
In Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri, 235 migrants were arrested including two Mexican immigrants who were wanted for aggravated sexual abuse of a minor; attempted criminal sexual abuse, and solicitation for sex.
In Los Angeles, 161 foreign nationals were taken into custody including a Mexican national with a final order of removal with prior convictions for drug trafficking, a weapons violation, and spousal battery and a previously deported aggravated felon from Honduras with prior convictions for drug trafficking, spousal battery, and petty theft.
And in San Antonio, a total of 51 migrants were nabbed including two from Mexico and one from El Salvador.
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One citizen of Mexico arrested in San Antonio was previously removed from the United States and was convicted of aggravated assault while another was convicted of domestic violence charges as a repeat offender. The El Salvador national nabbed had pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of a child.
The US ICE said in a statement Monday that the “enforcement operations were conducted in accordance with routine, daily targeted operations conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) fugitive operations teams every day to arrest criminal aliens and other individuals who are in violation of our nation’s immigration laws.”
Of those arrested, approximately 75 percent, ICE said, 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.
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The agency also insisted that reports of ICE “checkpoints and sweeps are false, dangerous and irresponsible.”
Some of the immigrants arrested during the week-long ICE operation will face criminal prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for illegal re-entry after deportation.
Those not being criminally prosecuted will be processed for removal from the United States and those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to possible removal from the country.
