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Chicago Woman Arrested for Selling Fraudulent Identity Documents to Illegal Aliens
A woman was arrested Wednesday, February 13, 2013, on charges she allegedly sold fraudulent identity documents to illegal aliens. These charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigra
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Tag Archives: felony

ICE Target Operation Arrests 51 Immigration Fugitives and Criminal Aliens in Chicago Area

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As part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 51 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested last week during a four-day operation in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana.

This operation concluded Sunday, January 27, 2013, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago.

Of the 51 arrested, 44 had prior convictions for crimes such as: child molesting, aggravated battery, drunken driving, criminal sexual abuse, fraud and drug possession. Eighteen of the 51 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country, but failed to depart; some of these also had prior criminal convictions, in addition to an outstanding deportation order. Nine of those arrested had been previously deported, but illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Of the 46 men and five women arrested, 41 are Mexican nationals; one national from each of the following countries was also arrested: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, Jordan, Korea, Pakistan and Poland.

Arrests were made in Chicago and the following 25 northern Illinois communities: Addison, Algonquin, Bellwood, Berwyn, Blue Island, Cicero, Crest Hill, Elgin, Elmwood Park, Evanston, Franklin Park, HanoverPark, Joliet, Justice, Lansing, Maywood, Melrose Park, NorthLake, Oak Brook, Palatine, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Park, Streamwood, Wauconda and Westmont. Arrests were also made in the northern Indiana communities of East Chicago, Hammond, Highland, Munster and Valparaiso.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

  • A 39-year-old Syrian national has eight aggravated felony convictions for residential burglary, retail theft, theft, burglary and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was arrested Jan. 23 in Melrose Park, Ill., and remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before a federal immigration judge.
  • A 25-year-old Mexican national is a registered sex offender with prior criminal convictions for sexually exploiting a child, public indecency and lewd exposure. He was arrested Jan. 27 in Elgin, Ill., and remains in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.

“Our focus on criminals has an immediate positive impact by significantly improving the safety and security of our communities,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. “By arresting and removing criminals and egregious immigration violators, we ensure the best use of agency resources and a continued focus on public safety.”

This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives.

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. ICE also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system, including immigration fugitives or criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.

ICE Target Operation Arrests 90 Criminal Aliens

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As part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 90 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested the week ending in Friday, December 14, 2012, during Operation Bear III throughout central and south Texas.

This six day operation concluded Thursday, December 13, 2012, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) teams in the following five Texas cities: Austin, Laredo, Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and Waco.

“The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE’s ongoing commitment to protect public safety,” said Enrique M. Lucero, field office director for ERO San Antonio. “We focus our resources and efforts on arresting and removing convicted criminal aliens and those who disregard our nation’s immigration system.”

The 90 arrested included aliens with criminal convictions such as: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, indecency with a child, burglary, unlawfully possessing a firearm, aggravated assault, driving while intoxicated and drug possession. Thirteen of those arrested had been previously removed from the country; they are being federally prosecuted for illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 89 men and one woman arrested: Mexico(83), El Salvador (2), Guatemala (1), Honduras (1), Philippines (1), Portugal (1) and Vietnam (1).

Below are five summaries of those arrested during this six day operation:

  • A 37-year-old Vietnamese national and U.S. permanent resident with three prior criminal convictions for burglary was arrested Dec. 9 in Plugerville, Texas. He remains in ICE custody pending an immigration removal hearing before a federal immigration judge.
  • A 50-year-old previously-removed Mexican national with prior criminal convictions for possessing a controlled substance (cocaine). He was arrested Dec. 8, in Brownsville, Texas, and remains in ICE custody pending federal criminal prosecution for illegally re-entering the United States.
  • A 33-year-old previously-removed Mexican national is a self-admitted Valluco gang member with prior criminal convictions for robbery and possessing a controlled substance (cocaine). He was arrested Dec. 9 in McAllen, Texas. He remains in ICE custody pending criminal prosecution for illegally re-entering the United States.
  • A 55-year-old Mexican national and U.S.permanent resident with prior criminal convictions for indecency with a child (sexual contact) was arrested Dec. 8 in Laredo, Texas. He remains in ICE custody pending an immigration removal hearing before a federal immigration judge.
  • A 30-year-old Mexican national and U.S. permanent resident was arrested Dec. 10 in San Antonio. He has prior criminal convictions for assault causing bodily injury to a family member and two convictions for theft. He remains in ICE custody pending an immigration removal hearing before a federal immigration judge.

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.

ICE Target Operation Arrests 31 Criminal Aliens and Immigration Fugitives

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As part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 31 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a two-day operation in the greater Chicago area.

This operation concluded Sunday, December 9, 2012, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations teams in Chicago.

Of the 31 arrested, 22 had prior convictions for crimes such as: battery, aggravated drunken driving, drug possession, child molestation, sexual misconduct and theft. Fifteen are immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; four others had been previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 30 men and one woman arrested: Mexico(19), Honduras (5), Poland (3), Belize(1), El Salvador (1), Guatemala (1) and Laos (1). Arrests were made in the following 15 Chicago-area communities: Addison, Aurora, Berwyn, Bloomingdale, Bolingbrook, Chicago, Chicago Ridge, Elgin, Gurnee, Melrose Park, Montgomery, River Grove, Wauconda, Waukegan and Wheaton. Two arrests were also made in the northwest Indiana communities of Crown Point and Schererville.

Following are summaries of three individuals arrested during this operation:

  • A 46-year-old Laotian man has a prior criminal conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a minor. He is also an immigration fugitive with an outstanding deportation order. He was arrested Dec. 8 in Chicago and remains in ICE custody pending his deportation.
  • A 44-year-old Honduran man has prior criminal convictions for molesting a minor. He was previously deported in 1990 and illegally re-entered the United States. He was arrested Dec. 8 at his residence in Schererville, Ind., and remains in ICE custody pending his deportation.
  • A 29-year-old Belizean man has criminal convictions for possessing drugs and illegally re-entering the United States after having been deported. He was previously deported three times: in 2004, 2005 and 2006. He was arrested Dec. 8 at his residence in Chicago Ridge and remains in ICE custody pending his deportation. He may face federal prosecution for illegally re-entering the United States after being deported.

“ERO works tirelessly to identify and remove convicted criminal aliens and egregious immigration violators who show a blatant disregard for our immigration laws,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. “By doing so, we significantly improve public safety in our communities while making the best use of our resources.”

This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives.

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. ICE also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.

Mexican National Gets Four Year Sentence for Illegal Re-entry

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A previously deported Mexican national was sentenced the week of September 20, 2012, to more than four years in prison for illegally reentering the United States after deportation. The sentence resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

David Mendoza-Guzman, 42, a Mexican national, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb, Western District of Wisconsin, to 57 months in prison for illegally reentering the United States after having been deported. He pleaded guilty to the charge July 18. Reentering the United States after being formally deported is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

Mendoza-Guzman was previously removed from the United States May 27, 2003. After his deportation, Mendoza-Guzman returned to the United States without permission. On March 25 he was arrested by ERO Fugitive Operations Team officers outside his residence in Alma Center, Wis.

Mendoza-Guzman’s 57-month sentence was based in large part on his continued criminal activity while in the United States. His prior criminal conduct includes, among other crimes, a drug trafficking conviction, a 4th degree sexual assault conviction, and a resisting arrest conviction where the defendant got out of his vehicle after a traffic stop and confronted officers with vulgar language and threats.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Munish Sharda, Western District of Wisconsin, prosecuted the case.

ICE Arrests Two Illegal Aliens for Possession of Drugs and Illegal Firearms

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While targeting a previously deported illegal alien, officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) discovered another illegal alien who was in possession methamphetamine and was allegedly operating a “chop shop” to dismantle stolen cars.

ERO Fugitive Operations team members from Oklahoma City, working with ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), targeted Luis Armando Saenz-Gutierrez, 36, from Mexico. Saenz-Gutierrez had been convicted in Oklahoma in 2009 of drug trafficking, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. In 2011, he was released early from prison under Oklahoma’s Rapid Repatriation Act and was deported by ERO. Under this Act, aliens who violate the terms of their release and illegally re-enter the United States must serve the remainder of their Oklahoma state prison sentences, and they may also be prosecuted federally. Anyone who re-enters the United States after having been previously deported commits a felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

After arriving at Saenz-Gutierrez’s house in Oklahoma City, ERO officers encountered Francisco Hernandez-Seguame, 26, exiting the residence. They determined that Hernandez-Seguame was also from Mexico and was illegally in the United States. HSI special agents secured a search warrant for the house, and located and arrested Saenz-Gutierrez. In the house, they also discovered three handguns, one sawed-off shotgun and various calibers of ammunition. It is unlawful for illegal aliens to possess firearms in the United States.

ERO officers then visited the Oklahoma City apartment of Hernandez-Seguame, where they received consent to search the apartment for the woman who resided there. During that search, officers discovered a plastic bag filled with about one-half pound of methamphetamine. The street value of the methamphetamine was estimated at about $4,000.

From the interviews conducted, ERO officers and HSI special agents determined that Hernandez-Seguame dismantled stolen cars in a vacant lot adjacent to the house where Saenz-Gutierrez was located. Officers recovered four stolen vehicles from the lot, as well as an illegal sawed-off shotgun with ammunition.

“This ICE team effort between our ERO officers and HSI special agents removed two dangerous criminals from Oklahoma City streets,” said Simona L. Flores, field office director of ERO Dallas. “Ultimately, our operations help improve public safety.”

Target Operation in Chicago Nets Over 3 Dozen Criminal Aliens

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As part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, 44 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested the week ending in July 20, 2012, during a five-day operation in the Chicago area.

This operation concluded Wednesday, July 18, 2012, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Fugitive Operations Teams in Chicago.

Of the 44 arrested, 33 had criminal convictions for crimes such as: cocaine possession, burglary, battery, assault, distributing marijuana, fraud, aggravated DUI and domestic violence. Eighteen of the 44 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; 14 of those are convicted criminals in addition to having outstanding deportation orders. Ten of the 44 – including five convicted criminals – had been previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 44 men who were arrested during this operation: Mexico (33), Poland (5), Guatemala (3), Philippines (1), Mongolia (1), Slovakia (1). Chicago had the most arrests (14); additional arrests were made in the following 23 northern Illinois cities: Aurora, Bensenville, Cicero, Des Plaines, Elgin, Elmwood Park, Franklin Park, Glenview, Highwood, Ingleside, Morton Grove, Mundelein, Naperville, North Chicago, Oswego, Park City, Park Ridge, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Schaumburg, St. Charles, Wheeling and Winfield.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

  • A 24-year-old Mexican national who was previously convicted of burglary and sentenced to three years in prison. He was arrested July 14. During the arrest, ERO officers discovered narcotics. He is currently facing state drug charges and is being held at the Cook County Jail with an immigration detainer.
  • A 43-year-old Polish national previously convicted of possessing ecstasy with the intent to deliver. He is wanted by Interpol for crimes regarding a fatal car crash inPoland. He was arrested July 17 and remains in ICE custody pending removal toPoland.

“The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE’s ongoing commitment to public safety,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director of ERO Chicago. “By arresting and removing convicted criminal aliens, we immediately improve the safety of our communities.”

These arrests were coordinated with ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives – aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation handed down by federal immigration courts. ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams give top priority to cases involving aliens who pose a threat to national security and public safety, including members of transnational street gangs and child sex offenders.

Cuban National Arrested in Detroit for Murder

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Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and  Removal Operations (ERO) arrested a Cuban national last Thursday, March 1, at the Citgo
gas station on Kercheval Street on Detroit’s east side. The man is an aggravated felon having been convicted of murder in the second degree, manslaughter and various other crimes in Arkansas, Michigan and California.

Edilberto Verane, 49, has a final order of removal from an immigration judge with the
Executive Office for Immigration Review. He is now in ERO custody while the U.S. government attempts to remove him from the country.

“A top priority for ERO in Detroit is to locate and arrest criminal aliens and ultimately remove them from our country,” said ERO Detroit Field Office Director Rebecca Adducci.
“This arrest is yet another example of the critical role that targeted immigration enforcement plays in keeping our communities safe.”

Verane entered the United States in 1980. He was convicted Sept. 5, 1989, in Detroit for murder in the second degree, and sentenced to eight to 15 years in state prison. He was released from state custody without parole Jan. 21, 2004. He had other previous criminal
convictions which included carrying a knife as a weapon and carrying a concealed handgun.

ERO 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. ERO also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or those criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.

Largely as a result of these initiatives, for three years in a row, ERO has removed
more aliens than were removed in fiscal year 2008. Overall, in FY 2011 ERO removed 396,906 individuals nationwide – the largest number in the agency’s history. Of these, nearly 55 percent or 216,698 of the people removed were convicted of felonies or misdemeanors – an 89 percent increase in the removal of criminals since FY 2008. This includes 1,119 aliens convicted of homicide; 5,848 aliens convicted of sexual offenses; 44,653 aliens convicted of drug related crimes; and 35,927 aliens convicted of driving under the influence. ERO achieved similar results with regard to other categories prioritized for removal. Ninety percent of all ERO’s removals fell into a priority category and more than two-thirds of the other removals in 2011 were either recent border
crossers or repeat immigration violators.

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