ICE arrests 24 during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens, immigration fugitives in Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS – 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, 24 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators were arrested during a three-day operation in the Indianapolis area.

This operation concluded Monday and was conducted by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) teams in Indianapolis.

Of the 24 arrested, 17 had prior convictions for crimes, such as: possessing drugs, resisting arrest, drunken driving, illegally re-entering the U.S. after deportation and criminal trespass. Three of the 24 were immigration fugitives who had been previously ordered to leave the country but failed to depart. Another three had been previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.

Following is the nationality breakdown of the 23 men and one woman arrested: Mexico (17), Guatemala (3), El Salvador (2), Honduras (1), and Venezuela (1). The majority of the arrests occurred in Indianapolis, with some arrests made in Franklin and Plainfield.

Following are summaries of two individuals arrested during this operation:

• A 23-year-old Mexican national had been convicted of drug possession, and was sentenced to 180 days. He was arrested July 15 at his Indianapolis residence and remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
• A 33-year-old Guatemalan national had been convicted of resisting a law enforcement officer and was sentenced to a year in prison. He was arrested July 16 at his residence in Indianapolis. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

"ERO is committed to making our communities safer by arresting and removing convicted criminal aliens and immigration fugitives," said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. "By targeting our efforts on these egregious offenders, we are improving public safety while making the best use of our resources."

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.