Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests criminal fugitives
Posted: May 28, 2010 5:05 PM CDT
Updated: May 28, 2010 8:44 PM CDT
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WAPATO, Wash. -- As the national debate over immigration reform rages on, we take a look at what's being enforced right here in Washington. KNDO gets an exclusive look as Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrest criminal fugitives living in the Yakima Valley.

As the Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers go after a wanted criminal fugitive, the process is quiet, even civil, they knock on the door. The ICE officers are targeting a Mexican National, he's been deported once already and has several criminal convictions.

While in the field ICE officers wear bullet proof vests, carry weapons, but the majority of the work happens in the office before the arrest, doing record checks and a lot of research.

"They're targeted operations and we're very precise in what we do. So ya there is a misperception that we're just going through neighborhoods they characterize what we do as raids, which is not the case," said Bryan Wilcox, Deputy Field Office Director, Seattle AOR, Detention and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Wilcox oversees a three state region of Washington, Oregon and Alaska. The Eastern Washington team is based in Yakima.

After the fugitive is identified he's taken into custody. As one ICE officer put it, they're sending away the worst of the worst. What they're not doing is intentionally breaking-up families.

"You know that's a choice that they make to come to this county and remain here unlawfully. We have a job to do, it's the law," said Wilcox.

The number of deportations has steadily increased over the last few years. These are numbers for this region. In 2004 there were 1,824 non-criminal deportations. That number increased to 6,331 for 2009. Criminal deportations went from 2,477 to 4,462.

"You know administrations may come or go and have different ideas about you know immigration enforcement, [but] on the ground we're still doing the same job," said Wilcox.

Many of the fugitive criminals have entered the US illegally multiple times and Wilcox says they'll continue to do so, making immigrations enforcement never ending work.

"No, it never ends," said Wilcox.

http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=12563003