ICE arrests 97 criminal aliens and immigration violators in 6 Midwestern states
I.C.E. News Releases
ENFORCEMENT AND REMOVAL
09/30/2019
ICE arrests 97 criminal aliens and immigration violators in 5-day enforcement surge in 6 Midwestern states
CHICAGO — Federal officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 97 criminal aliens and immigration violators in six Midwest states during a five-day enforcement action, which ended Wednesday.
During this enforcement surge, ICE officers made arrests in the following states: Illinois (28), Indiana (14), Kansas (22), Kentucky (12), Missouri (10) and Wisconsin (11). Three women and 94 men were arrested.
Aliens arrested during this operation are from the following 10 countries: Czech Republic (1), El Salvador (2), Guatemala (17), Honduras (2), Israel (1), Kenya (2), Mexico (68), Pakistan (2), Poland (1) and Ukraine (1).
More than half of the aliens arrested (58) by ICE deportation officers during this enforcement surge had prior criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: assault, battery, domestic violence, child exploitation, sexual assault, driving under the influence (DUI), drug possession, re-entry after deportation, resisting officers, obstruction of justice, hit-and-run and illegally possessing weapons.
Fifteen of those arrested were immigration fugitives; 19 others illegally re-entered the United States after having been previously deported, which is a felony.
Depending on an alien’s criminality, an alien who re-enters the United States after having been previously deported commits a felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.
The following are eight summaries of criminal aliens arrested in the ICE Chicago area of responsibility during this enforcement surge:
- Sept. 21: ICE officers arrested a 24-year-old criminal alien from Mexico in Milwaukee. He has two felony domestic assault convictions – one is for strangling and suffocating his victim. He remains in ICE custody pending the disposition of his immigration case.
- Sept. 22: ICE officers arrested a 36-year-old criminal alien from Mexico in Milwaukee. He has a DUI conviction and an outstanding criminal arrest warrant in Wisconsin. He remains in ICE custody pending the disposition of his immigration proceedings.
- Sept. 23: ICE officers arrested a twice-deported 61-year-old criminal alien from Mexico in Chicago. He has a criminal conviction for aggravated sexual abuse. This case was presented to the U.S. Attorney’s office for criminal prosecution for re-entry after deportation. He remains in ICE custody pending his removal to Mexico.
- Sept. 23: ICE officers arrested a 27-year-old citizen of Pakistan in Noblesville, Indiana, who is a U.S. permanent resident. His 2018 conviction for possessing child pornography makes him eligible for removal. He remains in ICE custody pending the outcome of his immigration proceedings.
- Sept. 23: ICE officers arrested a 38-year-old criminal alien from Mexico in Milwaukee. He has several criminal convictions, including illegally carrying a concealed weapon. This case was presented to the U.S. Attorney’s office for criminal prosecution.
- Sept. 23: ICE officers arrested a criminal alien from Mexico in Danville, Kentucky. He has been convicted of assault and DUI. He remains in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.
- Sept. 25: ICE officers arrested a 37-year-old illegal alien from El Salvador in Liberal, Kansas. He has several criminal arrests in Kansas, including a DUI arrest. He remains in ICE custody pending disposition of his immigration proceedings.
- Sept. 25: ICE officers arrested a 37-year-old criminal alien from Kenya in Platte City, Missouri. She has a DUI conviction and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2015. She remains in ICE custody pending her removal to Kenya.
“This enforcement surge targeted criminal aliens, public-safety threats, and individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws — particularly in non-cooperative jurisdictions,” said Robert Guadian, field office director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago. “Our ICE officers provide a valuable public service by removing criminal aliens who pose a threat to their own immigrant communities.
Our officers also enforce U.S. immigration laws by carrying out the orders of federal immigration judges.”
All of the targets arrested during this operation were amenable to arrest and removal under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act.
ICE deportation officers carry out targeted enforcement actions daily nationwide 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 operations involve existing and established Fugitive Operations Teams.
Local jurisdictions that choose to not cooperate with ICE are likely to see an increase in ICE enforcement activity, as in jurisdictions that do not cooperate with ICE the agency has no choice but to conduct more at-large arrest operations.
A consequence of ICE being forced to make more arrests on the streets is the agency is likely to encounter other unlawfully present foreign nationals that wouldn’t have been encountered had we been allowed to take custody of a criminal target within the confines of a local jail.
Last Reviewed/Updated: 09/30/2019
