37 arrested in Orange County CA.

Published: Sept. 28, 2011 Updated: 2:24 p.m.

Immigration officials arrest 2,900 criminals, fugitives

BY CINDY CARCAMO / THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Immigration officials arrested nearly 3,000 convicted criminals who were in the country illegally or had committed egregious immigration violations in a seven-day national operation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced Wednesday.

In Orange County, immigration officials arrested 37 people. About 200 people were arrested in the Los Angeles-area, immigration officials reported.

ICE arrests a man in Los Angeles. He was one of more than 2,900 convicted criminals and fugitives who were in the country illegally and arrested in an enforcement operation throughout all 50 states on Sept. 28, 2011.

"The results of this targeted enforcement operation demonstrate ICE's continued focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens that threaten the public safety of our communities here in southern California," Timothy Robbins, field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Los Angeles, stated in a press release. "Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers and agents in tracking down at large criminal aliens and fugitives, there are now 214 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods."

Operation "Cross Check" was the largest of its kind, involving multiple, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in all 50 states and four U.S. territories.

Of the more than 2,900 arrests, 146 had prior criminal convictions for serious felonies, including aggravated assault, drug trafficking and child abuse, officials reported.

Agents also arrested three documented gang members and 108 immigration fugitives.

About 59 of those arrested during the operation face prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's office on a variety of charges including illegal re-entry after deportation — a felony that carries up to 20 years in prison, immigration officials reported.

Read more about the operation in ABCNews.com, BusinessWeek and Reuters.

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