The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says it has arrested a number of Caribbean nationals among 113 people during an operation that formed part of the agency’s ongoing public safety and national security efforts.
ICE said that the June 5-9 operation was supported by the US Customs and Border Protection’s New Jersey Field Office, the New Jersey State Parole Office, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations.
“All of the targets in this operation were criminal in nature,” ICE said, disclosing that 93 per cent of those that were arrested were convicted criminals, and 87 per cent of them had prior felony convictions.
The individuals arrested were nationals of Guyana, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago as well as Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Iraq, Ireland, Jordan, Korea, Latvia, Liberia, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, and Uruguay.
“The continued results of our Fugitive Operations officers and their law enforcement partners underscore ICE’s ongoing and steady commitment to public safety,” said John Tsoukaris, field office director of ERO Newark.
“As part of this operation, we continue focus on the arrest of individuals who are criminal and are a threat to public safety and national security. Because of the tireless efforts of these professional officers, there are 113 fewer criminals in our communities.”
The acting director New York Field Office, Leon Hayward, said US Customs and Border Protection is “extremely proud to have assisted in this operation.
“It is through collaborative efforts, such as the one leading to today’s arrests, that law enforcement agencies can combat illegal acts and apprehend criminals who pose a threat to the Homeland,” he said.
ICE said those arrested range from age 18 to 74 and all were previously convicted of a variety of offenses.
Some of the convictions included s*xual assault on a minor, child abuse, possession of narcotics, distribution of narcotics, robbery, trespassing, damage to property, driving under the influence (DUI), crimes against person, fraud, s*x offense against a child/fondling, threaten to kill, s*xual exploitation of a minor, domestic violence, battery, theft of US government property, possession of a weapon, illegal use of credit cards, burglary, larceny, aggravated assault and illegal re-entry.
Last year 2016, ICE said it conducted 240,255 removals nationwide and that over 90 per cent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.
“ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security,” the statement said.