ICE Sweep Nets over 1300 Illegal Aliens

ICE Sweep Nets over 1300 Illegal Aliens in Southern California
On Wednesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials announced one of the country's largest immigration sweeps on record, netting over 1300 illegal aliens across 5 counties in Southern California. (San Diego Union Tribute, October 4). The operation, taken in concert with local sheriffs, focused on aliens who had been processed at southern California jails and were discovered to be deportable.

Of those arrested in the sweep, about 530 were apprehended at their homes and workplaces, while 800 others were removed immediately after the completion of their jail terms. Nearly 1100 of those arrested came from Mexico, but the remainder originated from over 30 countries, including Armenia, India and Ireland. While the vast majority of the aliens were in the country illegally, several of those arrested were lawful residents whose felonies made them deportable. More than 600 of those arrested had been deported by Wednesday. (AFP, October 4; Deutsche Press-Agentur, October 3).

Jim Hayes, the Los Angeles field director for ICE, indicated that the sweep reflects the agency's newfound aggressive stance towards enforcement of immigration laws. "Where the laws may not have been enforced in the past," he said, "that has changed." Nonetheless, there remain nearly 597,000 immigration fugitives in the U.S. While this figure is down 35,000 from last year, it is evidence that ICE has only scratched the surface when it comes to enforcing our country's immigration laws.