ICE arrests 58 in New York enforcement operation targeting convicted criminals
NEW YORK — Officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 58 individuals during an operation spanning the New York metropolitan area that concluded Aug. 12, targeting criminal aliens and other enforcement priorities.
During the five-day enforcement action, ERO officers apprehended aliens with criminal convictions, in addition to others who fall under the agency’s enforcement priorities. Those arrested had criminal histories with past convictions for rape, kidnapping, robbery, burglary and other serious criminal offenses.
"Law enforcement operations like this underscore that ICE is committed to putting public safety first," said Raymond Simonse, acting field office director for ERO New York. “Our nation has a proud history of immigration, but we are also a nation governed by laws specifically designed to protect our citizens and residents. Those who come to the United States to prey upon our neighbors and communities will be prosecuted for their crimes and ultimately returned to their home countries.”
Among those arrested were:
- A 32-year-old Ecuadorian with convictions of sexual abuse and family neglect. He was arrested in Woodhaven.
- A 51-year-old Salvadoran man with convictions for DUI and of rape in the 3rd degree. He was arrested in Central Islip.
- A 35-year-old Mexican man with convictions for two counts of sexual battery and a DUI. He was arrested in Brooklyn.
- A 38-year-old previously-removed Dominican man with a conviction for cocaine trafficking. He was arrested in the Bronx. He will be prosecuted federally by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District for re-entry after deportation.
The foreign nationals arrested during the operation include citizens of 17 countries, including Trinidad, Dominican Republic, Belize, St. Vincent, Guyana, Philippines, Jamaica, Indonesia, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico, El Salvador, Lebanon, Colombia, Israel, Romania, and the United Kingdom.
Those who are not being criminally prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the United States. The arrestees 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 last week’s operation were immigration enforcement priorities as outlined in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson’s 2014 memorandum. Priority 1 targets include threats to national security, criminal street gang members, convicted felons, and aggravated felons. Priority 2 targets include individuals with convictions for three or more misdemeanors, or convictions for significant misdemeanors, including DUIs.
As Secretary Johnson has stated repeatedly, our borders are not open to illegal migration. If someone was apprehended at the border, has been ordered removed by an immigration court, has no pending appeal, and does not qualify for asylum or other relief from removal under our laws, he or she must be sent home. We must and we will enforce the law in accordance with our enforcement priorities.
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