Sweep Results In Arrests of 110 On Immigration Charges

Published: December 23, 2008

A five-day effort by law enforcement to target fugitive aliens has resulted in 110 arrests, including 11 in Tampa.

The operation was organized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and was aimed at illegal immigrants who ignored orders to leave the country. Of the 110 arrested, 81 fell under that category; the remaining 29 had other immigration violations.

ICE officials said 24 of those arrested had criminal histories.

In addition to the 11 arrested in Tampa, 47 arrests were made in Miami-Dade, 30 in Broward, 15 in Palm Beach and seven in Orlando.

"ICE will continue to arrest and deport aliens who have ignored an immigration judge's order to leave the country," Michael Rozos, field office director for the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) in Florida, said in a press release issued today. "While we are a welcoming country, we expect those wanting to immigrate here to do so in a safe, legal and orderly manner. We will conduct these targeted fugitive operations to ensure that removal orders are carried out and locate these immigration violators who potentially pose a threat to public safety. Those that want to avoid arrest should comply with the law."

Of those arrested, 93 remain in ICE custody. Seventeen were processed for removal and released under supervision as part of the Alternatives to Detention Program (ATD). Under that program, ICE can release illegal immigrants and order they be supervised until they are deported. The program is usually used for immigrants who are sole caregivers or have medical problems.

According to ICE, the arrests had an international flavor, with the home countries of those arrested including Guatemala, Haiti, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Moldova, Cuba, Bahamas, Nicaragua, Peru, Poland, Jamaica, Bangladesh, Mexico, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada and Gambia.