Details Emerge in Hyattsville ICE Raid

Local suspect was one of four arrested during two day federal immigration enforcement operation targeting fugitive illegal immigrants with history of sex offenses.





Hyattsville, MD Patch

The US Department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has released details surrounding last week's arrest of an illegal immigrant living in the Hyattsville area.

The raid, which was documented on a video posted to the US Army's Defense Video and Imagery Distribution video sharing website DVIDSHUB.net, was part of a larger push last week by federal immigration officials in Maryland to apprehend and deport fugitive illegal immigrants with previous convictions for sexual offenses.

The raids, dubbed Operation SOAR (which stands for Sex Offender Alien Removal) saw ICE agents arrest four fugitive illegal immigrants in Maryland. The raids were coordinated by agents from ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations, which is responsible for carrying out the orders of the federal immigration courts.

“This operation was specifically designed to target and arrest criminal aliens who have been convicted of sex crimes,” said Calvin McCormick, field office director of ERO Baltimore, in a press release. “By taking these criminals off the streets we truly have made our Maryland communities safer, particularly for our children, who are most often the victims of these offenders.”

ICE agents were able to apprehend four suspects living in Maryland during the sweep, which ran from Tuesday, Jan. 22 through Thursday, Jan. 24.

The suspect detained in the Hyattsville area was a 38-year-old El Salvadorian who was convicted in 2001 for a sexual assault in Virginia and a 2006 prostitution conviction. He is currently being held by ICE pending deportation to El Salvador.

The other suspects include a 38-year-old man from India living on the lam Lanham. He has a 2011 conviction for a fourth degree sex offense in Maryland, and is currently awaiting immigration removal proceedings.

Agents also arrested a 42-year-old Guatemalan man living in Silver Spring who was at-large after being convicted in 1996 for a fourth degree sex offense in Maryland.

Agents also arrested a 40-year-old El Salvadorian man who was at large after being convicted in 2007 of second degree assault and in 1999 for second degree rape, a third degree sex offense, and contributing to a minor child in need of assistance.

Citing the Privacy Act of 1974 and Department of Homeland Security policy which prohibits the release of personal information of those arrested for administrative violations, a spokesperson for ICE said that the department could not release the identities of individuals arrested for deportation.

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