Hundreds Arrested in US Immigration Enforcement Raids

February 11, 2017 2:58 PM


This photo released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows foreign nationals being arrested during a targeted enforcement operation aimed
at immigration fugitives, re-entrants and at-large criminal aliens in Los Angeles, Feb. 7, 2017.

U.S. immigration authorities arrested hundreds of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally in raids across the country this week, although authorities said the enforcement action wasn't linked to a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump.

The raids targeted undocumented immigrants with criminal histories, Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, told The Washington Post, noting they were part of a "routine" action.

"We're talking about people who are threats to public safety or a threat to the integrity of the immigration system," she told the newspaper.

The enforcement actions took place in at least six states and included such cities as Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
Speaking to reporters Friday night, David Marin, director of the Los Angeles field office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said about 75 percent of the more than 160 people arrested in the area throughout the week had felony convictions and had no connection to the Trump order.

"This operation that we conducted is on par with similar operations that were done in the past," Marin said.

Trump issued an executive order last month to crack down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living in America illegally.

He also made changes to policies of the administration of former President Barack Obama, allowing immigration agents broader authority to deport those who have committed minor violations of the law or no offenses at all.

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