ICE operation nets 24 convicted criminal arrests in D.C.-metro area
WASHINGTON – Twenty-four convicted criminals were arrested in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers during a five-day operation that ran from July 10 to 14.
“The men we arrested were all convicted criminals who preyed on others through theft, assault, and in one case, rape,” said Yvonne Evans, field office director for ERO Washington, D.C. “The D.C.-metro area is now safer because these individuals are in our custody and off the streets.”
The 24 arrestees were all male citizens and/or nationals of several different countries across the globe, including El Salvador, Nicaragua, Ghana, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama and had previously been convicted of crimes, including rape of a minor, child abuse/neglect, grand larceny, drug distribution and more. Arrests took place in Fairfax, Woodbridge, Manassas, Falls Church, Annandale, Winchester, Sterling, Herndon, Springfield, as well as the District.
Arrested individuals 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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