Making Immigration Happen
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

Tag Archives: ICE National Fugitive Operations Program

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

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 37 Criminal Alien Sex Offenders

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested 37 foreign nationals with prior convictions for sex offenses during a three-day operation targeting criminal alien sex offenders in the Los Angeles area.

During the enforcement effort, which concluded late Friday, December 7, 2012, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers assigned to the agency’s Fugitive Operations Teams sought to locate and take custody of deportable alien sex offenders in four Southland counties –Los Angeles (16), Orange (4), Ventura (11) and San Bernardino(6). While the majority of those arrested were Mexican citizens (25), the group included nationals of eight other countries, including El Salvador, Honduras, Vietnam, Armenia,  Trinidad, the Philippines, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.

Among those detained during the operation was a citizen of Trinidad and registered sex offender whose prior convictions include sexual battery, battery on a peace officer and annoying or molesting a child under 18. The 56-year-old, who was arrested in Los Angeles Thursday, December 6, 2012, is being held by ICE without bond pending removal from the United States.

Also taken into custody during the operation was a registered sex offender from Mexico who had prior convictions for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14, drug trafficking, firearms violations and attempted grand theft. The 40-year-old was taken into custody Thursday, December 6, 2012, in Palmdale. He is being held without bond pending removal from the United States.

The 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.

“This operation was designed to target and arrest criminal aliens who have been convicted of sex crimes,” said Timothy Robbins, field office director for ERO Los Angeles. “We will all be able to rest easier knowing that these dangerous criminals are off our streets and will soon be out of the United States.”

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 31 Criminal Aliens and Immigration Fugitives

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.

ICE Kentucky Target Operation Arrests 16 Criminal Aliens

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, 16 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a three-day operation in western Kentucky.

This operation concluded Thursday, November 8, 2012, and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations teams in Louisville.

Of the 16 arrested, 11 had prior convictions for crimes such as: aggravated assault, drunken driving, theft, public intoxication and traffic offenses. Three of the 16 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart; two of the fugitives also had criminal convictions. Three of those arrested had been previously removed from the country and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 15 men and one woman arrested: Mexico(11), Guatemala (5). The arrests occurred in the following western Kentucky communities: Henderson (2), Mayfield (7), and Paducah (7).

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

  • A 37-year-old Mexican national has numerous prior criminal convictions that include: aggravated assault with a weapon, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, contempt of court and public intoxication. He was arrested Nov. 8 at his residence in Mayfield, Ky., and remains in ICE custody pending removal.
  • A 57-year-old Mexican national has prior convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs and traffic offenses. He was arrested Nov. 8 at his Mayfield residence and remains in ICE custody pending removal.

“ERO is improving public safety and protecting our communities when we arrest and remove convicted criminal aliens and immigration fugitives,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. “By focusing our efforts on these egregious offenders we are keeping the public safe while making the best use of our resources.”

This enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP), 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.