Nationwide immigration raid nets 3,100, including 54 in Utah

By stephen hunt
The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published 1 hour ago • Updated 1 hour ago

A six-day national "Cross Check" enforcement operation led to the arrest of more than 3,100 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators — including 108 individuals in Utah, Nevada, Idaho and Montana, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Monday.

Of the 108 individuals taken into custody in the four-state area overseen by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Salt Lake City, 82 had prior convictions for serious or violent crimes, according to a news release.

In Utah, Salt Lake City accounted for the largest number of arrests with 36, followed by Utah County (7), Weber County (5), Davis County (4), Box Elder County (1) and Summit County (1).

Two notable criminals arrested in Utah were:

• A 51-year-old Mexican national residing in West Valley City, with an outstanding order of deportation who was convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a child in October 2004. The individual is currently in ICE custody pending removal from the United States;

• A 33-year-old Cambodian national residing in West Valley City, with an outstanding order of deportation whose past convictions include carrying a concealed weapon and aggravated assault and theft;

"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE’s ongoing commitment and focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens and those that game our nation’s immigration system," said ICE Director John Morton. "Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers and agents in tracking down criminal aliens and fugitives, there are 3,168 fewer criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators in our neighborhoods across the country."

This six-day operation, the largest of its kind, involved the collaboration of more than 1,900 ICE officers and agents from all of ICE’s 24 (ERO) field offices, assistance from ICE Homeland Security Investigations as well as coordination with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners throughout the United States, according to the news release.

Arrests occurred in all 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, three U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

ERO officers arrested 2,834 individuals who had prior criminal convictions including at least 1,063 aliens who had multiple criminal convictions. Of those arrested, 1,477 had felony convictions including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, terroristic threats, drug trafficking, child abuse, battery on a child, sexual crimes against minors, and aggravated assault. The arrestees also included 50 documented gang members and 149 convicted sex offenders, according to the news release.

In addition to being convicted criminals, 698 of those arrested nationwide were also immigration fugitives who had previously been ordered to leave the country but failed to depart. Additionally, 559 were illegal re-entrants who had been previously removed from the country. In the four-state Salt Lake City area, 36 of those arrested were previously deported aliens who had illegally re-entered the country.

Because of their serious criminal histories and prior immigration arrest records, at least 204 of those arrested nationwide during the enforcement action were presented to U.S attorneys for prosecution on a variety of charges including illegal re-entry after deportation, a felony which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

ICE conducted the first successful Cross Check operation in December 2009, and has since conducted seven regional and two national Cross Check operations resulting in the arrest of more than 7,400 convicted criminal aliens. This operation is the third nationwide Cross Check operation in the agency’s history. The first nationwide Cross Check operation occurred at the end of May 2011 and resulted in the arrest of 2,442 convicted criminal aliens. The last Cross Check operation in September 2011 resulted in the arrest of 2,901 convicted criminal aliens.

Last week’s enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP), which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives. The officers who conducted last week’s operation received substantial assistance from ICE’s Fugitive Operations Support Center (FOSC), ICE’s Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) and the Criminal Alien Program.

ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security, according to a news release.

ICE also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or those criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.

shunt@sltrib.com

Nationwide immigration raid nets 3,100, including 54 in Utah | The Salt Lake Tribune