Feds arrest 20 illegal immigrants in sweep

By Tim McGlone
The Virginian-Pilot
© December 15, 2010
NORFOLK

Immigration agents rounded up 20 foreign nationals who are either facing orders of deportation or have been previously deported but returned here illegally.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the results of the five-day effort in Hampton Roads, part of a broader national effort to deport illegal immigrants.

The individuals detained were found in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg and Accomack County. Two were previously deported but returned and 18 were under orders of deportation but had not left.

All had criminal records, including convictions for drug or weapon possession, assault or theft, ICE said in a news release. Their names were not released. Some, including a 25-year-old Guatemalan man who had a gun when he was arrested on the Eastern Shore, may face federal criminal prosecution. The others will be handled administratively through the immigration court.

The 20, now being held in jail, come from Mexico, Central America, China and Ghana.

ICE said that in fiscal year 2010 the agency set a record for the number of illegal immigrants removed nationwide with 392,000 deportations.

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