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Posted on Tue, Dec. 19, 2006



Sixty-two fugitives and immigration violators snared

By Miami Herald Staff
dadenews@MiamiHerald.com

Immigration authorities have arrested 50 undocumented immigrants who ignored orders to leave the country and another 12 who were in violation of U.S. immigration laws, many of them with criminal histories, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said today.

Among those arrested was a 38-year-old Honduran convicted of sex crimes and deported in 2000. Jose Mario Lara now faces criminal charges for returning illegally to the United States. Re-entry after deportation is a felony that carries up to a 25-year prison sentence.

The criminal histories of those being held range from aggravated assault with a deadly weapon to prostitution and probation violations. Of the more than 52,000 undocumented immigrants apprehended by ICE fugitive operations teams nationwide since 2003, about 22,669 had criminal convictions, immigration authorities said.

''Our officers are working tirelessly to ensure that our nation's laws are upheld,'' Michael Rozos, field office director for the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Florida, said in a statement. ``Those who break our immigration laws shouldn't be surprised if they are arrested, charged and deported.''

The weeklong sweep by ICE's Miami Fugitive Operations team ended Friday with the arrest of 62 fugitives and violators.






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