A five-state sweep for illegal immigrants with violent criminal records led Immigration and Customs Enforcement to nab 175, including alleged MS-13 gang members wanted for murder and others linked to child sex crimes.
In Texas, 97 were arrested in the Houston area and placed into the deportation process.
Among them was an MS-13 member wanted for murder in El Salvador. Others included a previously deported man convicted of manslaughter.
“This operation was focused on fugitives and criminal aliens,” said Patrick Contreras, field office director of the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office in Houston. “Public safety remains a top priority for ICE. This was a focused five-day operation, but our routine operations occur daily,” he added.
In Florida, another 76 were arrested, many on weapons and sex crimes charges.
“ICE is committed to making our communities safer by removing threats to our public safety,” said Marc J. Moore, Field Office Director for the Miami Field Office of ERO, in a statement. “Communities across Florida and Puerto Rico are safer today because of the hard work of our ERO officers,” he added.
And in New York, two sex offenders were nabbed, said ICE.
“ERO officers in New York continue to focus their targeted enforcement actions on criminals. Convicted predators represent one of the highest threats against our communities,” said Thomas R. Decker, field office director for New York. “ICE remains diligent in our commitment to make our communities safer and that promise is present in our day-to-day enforcement activities.”
Arrests were also made in New Jersey and Puerto Rico.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
