Thread: ICE arrests 80 criminal aliens in Georgia, Carolinas

I.C.E. News Release

May 11, 2012
Atlanta, GA

ICE arrests 80 criminal aliens in Georgia, Carolinas

ATLANTA, Ga. – During a three-day targeted enforcement operation in Georgia and the Carolinas, officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 80 convicted criminal aliens.

Operation Cross Check commenced Monday and concluded Wednesday. All 80 taken into custody had prior criminal convictions. Many of the criminal aliens taken into custody had prior convictions for serious or violent offenses including: aggravated assault; indecent liberties with a minor; family violence; sexual battery of a minor; possession of cocaine; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; and weapon used in the commission of a crime.

"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment to public safety," said Felicia Skinner, Field Office Director of ERO Atlanta. "When we focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens we get an immediate payback in our communities. Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers – along with our state and local law enforcement partners – there are 80 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods in Georgia and the Carolinas."

Of those arrested, 20 were immigration fugitives, 14 re-entered the United States after a previous deportation and 46 were at-large criminals. The arrested aliens came from Mexico, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. ERO arrested 33 in Georgia, 15 in South Carolina and 32 in North Carolina.

All 80 were arrested administratively for being in violation of immigration law, and all are being held in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings or removal from the United States.

Some of those arrested during this operation include:
A national of the Dominican Republic, who was convicted of multiple drug possession and trafficking crimes in New York, deported and then illegally re-entered the United States.
A national of Mexico, who was convicted of the following crimes: possession and distribution of marijuana; and use of a weapon in commission of a crime.

This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE's National Criminal Alien Program, which is responsible for locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens. The officers who conducted the operation received substantial assistance from ICE's Law Enforcement Support Center located in Williston, Vt.

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. 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.

Largely as a result of these initiatives, for three years in a row, ICE has removed more aliens than were removed in fiscal year (FY) 2008. Overall, in FY 2011 ICE removed 396,906 individuals nationwide – the largest number in the agency's history. Of these, nearly 55 percent or 216,698 of the people removed were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors – an 89 percent increase in the removal of criminals since FY 2008. This includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes; and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence. ICE achieved similar results with regard to other categories prioritized for removal. Ninety percent of all ICE's removals fell into a priority category and more than two-thirds of the other removals in 2011 were either recent border crossers or repeat immigration violators.

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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423 or complete our tip form.

U.S. Dept of Homeland Security

ICE arrests 80 criminal aliens in Georgia, Carolinas

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Federal immigration officials arrest 15 in S.C., 33 in Georgia

Posted: May 11, 2012 - 3:27pm
By Sarita Chourey
Morris News Service

Federal immigration officials arrested 15 convicted criminal immigrants in South Carolina and 33 in Georgia as part of a three-day operation.

The effort, “Operation Cross Check,” by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) ran from Monday through Wednesday. It also led to 32 arrests in North Carolina.

All 80 criminal immigrants taken into custody had prior criminal convictions, according to a Friday announcement by ICE.

The arrests by county in South Carolina included two in Florence, four in Horry, seven in Charleston County, and one each in Saluda and Richland.

The ICE release stated that “many of the criminal aliens taken into custody had prior convictions for serious or violent offenses including: Aggravated Assault; Indecent Liberties with a Minor; Family Violence; Sexual Battery of a Minor; Possession of Cocaine; Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute and Weapon Used in the Commission of a Crime.”

Of those arrested across Georgia and the Carolinas, 20 were immigration fugitives, 14 re-entered the United States after a previous deportation and 46 were at-large criminals. They were from Mexico, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. ERO arrested 33 in Georgia, 15 in South Carolina and 32 in North Carolina.

All 80 were arrested administratively for violating immigration law. The individuals are in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings or deportation.

On Friday, ICE touted its rising effectiveness.

In terms of fiscal years, In each of the last three, the agency has removed more immigrants than in 2008.

In 2011 ICE removed 396,906 individuals nationwide — the largest number in agency history. Of these, nearly 55 percent or 216,698 were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors — an 89 percent increase in the removal of criminals since 2008.

Drug and alcohol crimes topped the list of offenses. The figure includes 44,653 convicted of drug related crimes; 35,927 immigrants convicted of driving under the influence; 5,848 convicted of sexual offenses; 1,119 convicted of homicide.

Federal immigration officials arrest 15 in S.C., 33 in Georgia | Bluffton Today

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May 13, 2012

Feds nab 80 criminal aliens during southern dragnet

Jim Kouri
Public Safety Examiner

During a three-state dragnet in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, federal law enforcement officers arrested 80 convicted criminal aliens on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, according to a Law Enforcement Examiner source in Washington, D.C.

As a result of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Operation Cross Check, the 80 illegal aliens -some of whom were gang members -- had prior criminal convictions, and a large number of the criminal aliens taken into custody had prior convictions for serious or violent offenses including aggravated assault, sex crimes with minors, family violence, sexual battery of a minor, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of weapons used in the commission of crimes.

"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment to public safety," said Felicia Skinner, Field Office Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations in Atlanta.

"When we focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens we get an immediate payback in our communities. Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers -- along with our state and local law enforcement partners -- there are 80 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods in Georgia and the Carolinas," she said.


Of those arrested, 20 were immigration fugitives, 14 re-entered the United States after a previous deportation -- which is a felony -- and 46 were fugitive criminals. The arrested aliens came from Mexico, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. ERO arrested 33 in Georgia, 32 in North Carolina, and 15 in South Carolina.

All 80 were arrested administratively for being in violation of immigration law, and all are being held in ICE custody pending immigration removal proceedings or removal from the United States, according to a federal law enforcement official.

This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE's National Criminal Alien Program, which is responsible for locating, arresting and removing at-large and fugitive criminal aliens.

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