Thread: 200 Immigration Arrests Reported Across Georgia

Immigration Arrests Reported Across Georgia, Attorneys Say

By ELLY YU • 6 HOURS AGO

• Atlanta-area immigration attorneys and advocates say federal immigration officials have recently increased the number of immigration arrests.
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Atlanta-area immigration attorneys and advocates say federal immigration officials have recently increased the number of immigration arrests.

Sarah Owings, chair of the American Immigration Lawyers Association Georgia Alabama Chapter, said arrests occurred along Buford Highway Thursday and Friday. She said arrests have been reported in other parts of the state as well, including Savannah and Cordele.

“It’s really all over the state,” Owings said. “It’s amazing how quickly it’s happening."

Bryan Cox, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), did not confirm any specific operations but said operations are routine.

“Every day, as part of routine targeted enforcement operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations teams arrest criminal aliens and other individuals who are in violation of our nation’s immigration laws," Cox said in a statement.

"ICE conducts targeted immigration enforcement in compliance with federal law and agency policy. ICE does not conduct sweeps or raids that target aliens indiscriminately," he said.

Brookhaven Police confirmed ICE arrests have occurred recently.
"Over the last week or so, there have been enforcement activities from Immigration and Customs enforcement in and around our city," said Brookhaven Police Major Brandon Gurley. He said the department was not asked by ICE to assist with any of the operations, which he said sometimes happens with certain "high-risk" operations.

Cox said about 200 people were arrested this week across Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, adding that the number of arrests were roughly split between the states. He said most of the 200 people were convicted criminals.

The reports of arrests come after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 25, outlining priorities for immigration enforcement.

The executive order signed by Trump broadens the priorities for ICE in who should be deported, Owings said. The priorities include people who "have been convicted of any criminal offense," but also people who have been charged with "any criminal offense, where such charge has not been resolved."

"It really vastly expands ICE's powers to prioritize who they want to pick up by eliminating the priorities that we had under Obama," Owings said.

Under President Barack Obama, the Department of Homeland Security's priorities for immigration arrests included people who were convicted of felonies, serious misdemeanors and people who entered the country illegally after 2014.

Adelina Nicholls, executive director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, said her office has been getting an increased number of calls over the past several days. She said she did not know how many people have been arrested but said there have been reports from Savannah, Moultrie, Cordele, Grovetown and Brookhaven.

"This is a great concern for us because the executive action is so vague," she said.

http://news.wabe.org/post/immigratio...-attorneys-say

Excellent!!

More Than 160 People Arrested in L.A.-Area Immigration Operation This Week

Office of Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
www.ice.gov


Fact Sheet

190 arrested in Georgia, the Carolinas, during ICE operation targeting criminal aliens, illegal re-entrants and immigration fugitives

Nearly 200 unlawfully present foreign nationals were arrested last week in the states of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) aimed at immigration fugitives, re-entrants and at-large criminal aliens.
• Of the 190 unlawfully present aliens arrested by ERO Atlanta, 127 had prior criminal convictions in addition to their illegal immigration status.
• Another 29 had been previously removed from the United States and subsequently illegally re-entered.
• In addition, 17 were immigration fugitives with outstanding final orders of removal issued by a federal immigration judge.
• Of the 190 unlawfully present aliens in total; 87 were arrested in Georgia, 84 in North Carolina and 19 in South Carolina.
• Arrests included:
• A Mexican national arrested in Georgia who is wanted in his home country on charges of homicide and attempted homicide.
• A Mexican national arrested in Charlotte, N.C., area, previously convicted on three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. The subject was also previously removed to Mexico and he subsequently illegally re-entered the United States.
• A Mexican national arrested in the Atlanta metropolitan area who previously pleaded guilty to felony cocaine distribution charges.
• The stats cover the entirely of the agency’s fugitive operations arrests from Monday through Friday.
• This enforcement operation was 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.
• ICE deportation officers conduct targeted enforcement operations every day in locations around the country as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls.
• These are existing, established fugitive operations teams. ICE does not conduct sweeps, checkpoints or raids that target aliens indiscriminately.
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• This operation targeted public safety threats, such as convicted criminal aliens and gang members, and individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws, including those who re-entered the country after being deported and immigration fugitives ordered deported by federal immigration judges.
• Some of the individuals arrested during this operation will face criminal prosecutions by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for illegal entry and illegal re-entry after deportation.
• Those not being criminally prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the United States. Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to removal from the country. Reports of ICE checkpoints and sweeps are false, dangerous and irresponsible. These reports create panic and put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger. Any groups falsely reporting such activities are doing a disservice to those they claim to support.
• During targeted enforcement operations ICE officers frequently encounter additional suspects who may be in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. Those persons will be evaluated on a case by case basis and, when appropriated, arrested by ICE.
# ICE #
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.
For more information, visit: www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.

https://www.ice.gov/doclib/news/libr...fugops-atl.pdf