53 arrested in ICE sweep; agency says it targeted ‘criminal aliens’

boston.com
By Martin Finucane
Globe Staff
11/22/2011 3:54 PM

Fifty-three illegal immigrants who had prior criminal convictions were arrested in a four-day sweep in Massachusetts that ended Monday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said today.

Twenty-two of those arrested had multiple criminal convictions, including one Cape Verdean who had been arraigned 35 times in Massachusetts, the agency said in a statement.

“Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers -- along with our state and local law enforcement partners -- there are 53 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods in Massachusetts,â€