Thread: Nearly 200 illegal immigrants reported arrested in Florida

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Posted on Mon, Apr. 24, 2006

Nearly 200 illegal immigrants reported arrested in Florida

BY RUTH MORRIS
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Federal agents in Florida have arrested 183 illegal immigrants, the largest such sweep in state history, officials said Monday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement squads worked with local police last week to capture the immigrants from Honduras, Haiti, Egypt, China and other countries. Some had served time in U.S. prisons, said Michael Rozos, ICE field office director in Miami.

Authorities said 130 had deportation orders pending against them but had failed to leave the country, making them fugitives. Of that group, 43 had been jailed for criminal violations, including cocaine trafficking and child abuse, but were released before immigration authorities caught up with them. An additional 53 slipped into the United States without permission. They will appear before an immigration judge.

The seven-day operation coincided with a U.S. Department of Homeland Security pledge last week to get tough on illegal immigration. This included tighter border enforcement and raids inside the United States.

Dubbed "Operation Phoenix," the Florida arrests came against the backdrop of a heated immigration debate that has seen massive marches in favor of granting legal status to millions of illegal workers.

Rozos said the operation was not a response to the rallies. Instead, the arrests represent a steady increase in activity by his office as it receives more funding, he said. "These operations have been ongoing for years, but now they're becoming more focused. There will be more activity in the future."

Of the 183 arrests, 95 occurred in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, he said. There were 35 in Tampa, 30 in Jacksonville and 23 in Orlando.

The arrest total was high by past standards, but statistics show an immigration system fighting an uphill battle. Officials estimate there are 570,000 "fugitive foreign nationals" in the United States, with about 60,000 residing in Florida.

ICE has focused on immigrants with criminal records. A growing chorus of lawmakers and activists wants authorities to take punitive measures against the U.S. employers of illegal immigrants. Some immigrants said they did not think those who overstayed their tourist visas or lost their asylum claims should be considered criminals.

"They are here for necessity. They are people who are here for three or four years. They are not terrorists," said Raynold Dorsainvil, an engineer in Lantana. Sofian Abdelaziz, director of the local chapter of the American Muslim Association of North America, said any immigrant asked to leave should do so unless they face a threat in their homeland.

"In Islam, you can't lie to anyone. I'm against any broken agreement," he said. "I tell people, `When you stand in front of a judge, don't challenge the system because you already broke the law by overstaying your visa.'"

Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has announced it will strengthen worksite enforcement and focus on deporting criminal aliens in the second phase of its strategy to reduce illegal immigration. The first phase involved putting more agents and better surveillance equipment on U.S. borders.

Among those arrested in Florida last week was an illegal immigrant from Guatemala convicted in 1993 of molesting a 3-year-old child. Another, a Jamaican, was convicted of indecent assault on a 12-year-old girl. ICE officers found an assault rifle, a pistol and 7 grams of marijuana during a search of one fugitive's house.

As Rozos unveiled the results of the Florida operation at a news conference in Doral, President Bush told business people at a California gathering that the country needs a temporary guest worker plan that offers decent wages to combat illegal immigration, a proposal that stalled two weeks ago in the Senate.

The White House has been pushing for the plan, as well as measures to clamp down on those who make illegal desert crossings, as part of a two-pronged strategy to revamp the U.S. immigration system.

Pfff that doesn't even clear half a block in Miami...

Of the nearly 200 captured, 133 were already ordered deported and yet still remained in the country

Jezzabell

Pfff that doesn't even clear half a block in Miami...

You said it, Jezzy !!

That's for sure. Not a drop in the bucket. Now go hit the mid part of the state. Wouldn't surprise me if 1/2 the population of Florida would be gone if they got rid of all the illegals.

I say go down the list that Social Security and IRS have then we will know you are serious about interior enforcement.