ICE arrests 49 illegal aliens during Topeka PD public safety operation
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September 25, 2006

ICE arrests 49 illegal aliens during Topeka PD public safety operation
36 of the arrested aliens were retuned to Mexico the same day

Photo of illegal aliens being arrested during Topeka PD public safety operation.
ICE officers prepare illegal aliens for boarding a bus for their ultimate return to Mexico.  ICE arrested the aliens after they were referred by Topeka PD and Kansas Highway Patrol following driver’s license checks Friday night and early Saturday morning.

TOPEKA, Kan. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 49 illegal aliens here early Saturday morning in a coordinated law enforcement effort following driver’s license safety stops made by Topeka Police Department and Kansas Highway Patrol on Interstate 70. 

The late-night operation was lead by Topeka PD which requested that ICE participate in its “Operation Driver’s License Check Lane.” The operation took place at 8 p.m. Friday to 1 a.m. Saturday eastbound on I-70 at the Carnahan St. exit.  Topeka PD and Kansas Highway Patrol stopped the vehicles to check
for valid driver’s licenses and perform other safety-related checks.  Any drivers who didn’t show valid licenses were referred to ICE agents positioned nearby.  ICE agents interviewed those referred drivers to determine their immigration status.  These immigration interviews identified 49 people illegally in the United States; 44 were from Mexico; five were from Guatemala and Honduras; 41 were men and eight were women.

According to Topeka PD, it conducts similar safety checks on a periodic basis.  The last such operation took place in August.

Of the 44 illegal aliens from Mexico arrested, 36 were identified as non-criminals who accepted voluntary return to Mexico; they were flown to south Texas and escorted across the border on Saturday.  The others remain in ICE custody pending formal deportation proceedings.  Three of the aliens arrested had previously been deported.  “Re-entry after deportation” is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. 

“ICE enjoys strong working relationships with our state and local law enforcement counterparts,” said Pete Baird, assistant special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Kansas City, Mo.  “These coordinated law enforcement efforts go a long way to help keep our local communities safe from many different fronts.  We are honored to play a role in this worthwhile operation.”

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE comprises four integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.
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