SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deportation officers arrested 20 illegal immigrants during a five-day sting, officials reported Friday.
The operation, which wrapped up Thursday, was focused on immigrants with a final removal order, criminal convictions, or criminal charges. ICE did not provide details about the locations of the arrests or the names of those targeted.
ICE officials said 85 percent of those arrested had prior convictions or charges including drugs, weapons offenses, hit and run crashes, DUI, theft, domestic violence, fraud, and evasion.
“Targeted operations like this reflect the vital public service that ERO officers do every day to protect the nation, uphold public safety and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border control,” said Field Office Director Gregory Archambeault. “We will continue to conduct similar operations, while seeking to ultimately remove criminal aliens with a final order of removal and other immigration fugitives who pose a threat to public safety.”
The primary targets of the operation will be removed from the United States, ICE officials said.
Enforcement response officers arrested 158,581 immigrants in fiscal year 2018, according to ICE. 90 percent of those arrested had criminal convictions, charges, or previous final orders of removal.
