ICE arrests 107 in Chicago during month-long enforcement action
CHICAGO — Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 331 individuals during a month-long operation targeting criminal aliens and other immigration violators in six Midwestern states.
This operation, which began May 9 and concluded Monday, is the latest effort by ICE to arrest and remove convicted criminal aliens. These arrests were made in the following six states: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri.
ERO officers arrested 107 individuals in the greater Chicago area. Ninety-six of the 107 have been convicted of crimes in the United States, including: robbery, possessing a stolen vehicle, aggravated DUI, rioting, aggravated sexual abuse, aggravated assault on an officer, and weapons offenses. The remaining 11 are agency priorities as recent border crossers. Twenty-one had previously been deported and illegally re-entered the United States.
The 106 males and one female arrested in the Chicago area are from the following countries: Belize (1), Bosnia (1), Ecuador (1), Guatemala (8), Honduras (3), Lithuania (3), Mexico (86), Poland (1), Senegal (1), and New Guinea (2). The majority were arrested in Chicago (47), Cicero (7) and Waukegan (5). Additional arrests took place in various Chicago suburbs.
Following are two case examples of those arrested in the Chicago area during this operation:
- A 25-year-old national of New Guinea with prior convictions for domestic violence, burglary (3x), and strong arm robbery. He was arrested June 3 in Chicago and remains in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings.
- A 38-year-old previously deported Mexican national and documented Latin Kings gang member with prior convictions for drugs aggravated assault on an officer. He was arrested June 3 in Cicero and remains in ICE custody pending deportation.
“Our dedicated officers strive to make our communities safer by arresting convicted criminal aliens and removing them from the United States," said Ricardo Wong, field officer director for ERO Chicago. "By focusing our resources on the most egregious offenders, we ensure the very best use of our resources while immediately improving public safety.”
Those arrested who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country. The remaining individuals are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future.
All of those apprehended during this operation were immigration enforcement priorities as outlined in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson’s 2014 memorandum.
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