ICE Arrests 48 Criminal Immigrants

From May 17 to May 21, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted an operation that resulted in the arrest of numerous illegal criminal immigrants. Of the detained illegal immigrants, one was identified as a gang member, 10 were aggravated felons and six were convicted sex offenders. These illegal immigrants came from several different countries, such as Cambodia, Nigeria and Guatemala and were listed as a priority for removal from the United States by ICE.

During the course of the five-day mission, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Philadelphia extracted the illegal immigrants from areas in Pennsylvania and Delaware due to their threat to public safety. The illegal aliens were specifically targeted during the operation because they met the top two priorities recognized by the Department of Homeland Security’s “Policies for Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Undocumented Immigrants” memorandum. The memorandum states that the first priorities for target are considered threats to national security, convicted felons, criminal gang members and aggravated felons. The second priorities for target are illegal immigrants who have been convicted three or more times for misdemeanors or have significant misdemeanor convictions, such as DUIs.

According to ERO Philadelphia field office director, Tom Decker, “By taking these individuals off our streets and removing them from the country, we are making our communities safer for everyone.”

The detained illegal immigrants who do not have outstanding prosecutions with the U.S. will be processed and removed from the country. The illegal aliens who have previously been deported and returned to the United States could be removed from the country immediately; and the remaining detained immigrants await hearings in immigration court.