Thread: New Las Vegas ICE Team Would Target Illegal Fugitives

http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=5468056

Every year, thousands of illegal immigrants come to the Las Vegas Valley, and some are wanted fugitives.

Right now in Southern Nevada, teams from Los Angeles are brought in to help apprehend fugitive immigrants. But a new budget proposal that Congress could vote on within the next few days would bring a special homeland security team to Las Vegas.

Agents from Immigration Customs Enforcement, or ICE, would create a fugitive operations team to arrest illegal immigrants, specifically criminals on the run hoping to disappear in the crowds.

One member of the team, Jim Hayes, says more than 100 fugitives were captured in the latest sweep of the valley. But he says there are thousands more out there. A permanent enforcement team in Southern Nevada would make their job a lot easier.

On a hot August night, immigration and customs officers make a surprise visit to illegal immigrants.

One man was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon, another for trafficking drugs. But for many, their only crime is being here illegally.

What ever their reason for being here, it's Jim Hayes' job to send them back to their native county.

Hayes, with ICE Detention and Removal Operations, said, "The threat is here. There are a number of people that are fugitives in the community and certainly putting a team here will allow us to go ahead and find them and remove them."

Reporter Ky Plaskon: "So Jim, I guess this is a day when some of these people's American dream comes to an end."

Jim Hayes, with ICE Detention and Removal Operations, said, "You could look at it that way. I look at it like they killed their American dream when they decided to break the immigration laws of this country."

That same day the ICE team arrested a man who was is in deportation hearings. His family cried as he was taken away.

"It is an emotional issue. It is a sad issue and people get caught up in it," Hayes added.

It's emotional for the families and the officers. During one sweep this year, the Los Angeles team picked up an illegal immigrant who wasn't wanted for any other crime. But they left his pregnant wife, who was also illegal.

Ky Plaskon: "You think that there might be officers that have soft hearts sometimes? Might change their minds?"

Jim Hayes: "I certainly hope that none of my officers are immune to compassion. But again, we have a mission and our mission is to enforce the laws of the United States and that is what we are doing."

ICE officials tell Eyewitness News the Department of Homeland Security is committed to bringing a permanent fugitive operation team to Las Vegas.

And for those who break the law, their American dream ends in a jail cell.

The Department of Homeland Security is still waiting for approval from Congress to put the permanent team here. Right now, they don't know how many officers they will have, but they hope to have it in place next year.

ICE apprehension teams started coming to the Las Vegas area on a regular basis earlier this year.

Over the past five years, more than 11,000 illegal immigrants have been ordered to leave Las Vegas. The most in one year was 2,600 in 2005. Through August of this year, 1,600 were ordered out.

If Congress approves the Department of Homeland Security budget request, the Las Vegas team will be operational next year.

The Department of Homeland Security is still waiting for approval from Congress to put the permanent team here. Right now, they don't know how many officers they will have, but they hope to have it in place next year.

They are waiting on Congress? Aren't we all?