Jeanfromfillmore
01-22-2011, 11:44 PM
Immigration crackdown in Grand Rapids includes people from 5 countries
Published: Friday, January 21, 2011, 1:15 PM Updated: Friday, January 21, 2011, 3:33 PM
A crackdown on illegal immigration led to 77 arrests, most of them from Mexico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Forty-one came from Mexico, while 27 came from Guatemala, seven from Honduras, and one each from China and Laos.
They were arrested in a four-day operation, ending late Thursday, that targeted illegal residents, immigration fugitives and immigration violators. The operation was conducted by ICE's enforcement and fugitives teams in the Grand Rapids area.
“A top priority for the Detroit Field Office is to locate and arrest criminal aliens and ultimately remove them from our country in a safe and humane manner,” said Rebecca Adducci, an ICE field office director in Detroit.
ICE has agents assigned to Grand Rapids, where two large-scale fake document operations have been busted in the last 18 months.
“This operation is yet another example of the critical role that targeted immigration enforcement plays in protecting our communities,” Adducci said in a statement.
Those arrested face deportation and criminal charges. ICE reported arrests in Kent, Ottawa, Kalamazoo, Mason, Berrien, Calhoun and St. Joseph counties. Of those arrested, 22 had prior convictions. Six had previously been deported, but returned to the U.S. Illegally. The government said 35 were immigration fugitives who failed to comply with deportation orders.
Those who failed to comply with deportation orders are subject to immediate removal, ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls said.
Among those arrested were a 32-year-old from Laos, a permanent resident with prior convictions for manslaughter and discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, and a 46-year-old from Mexico, a permanent resident who was convicted of sexual assault of a child, ICE said.
Four of the suspects accused of re-entering the U.S. after being deported will be tried in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids on potential 20-year felonies. Others would be deported or go before an immigration judge.
ICE's fugitive teams look for those who pose a threat to national security and public safety, including “transnational street gangs and child sex offenders.”
ICE last year removed a record 392,800 illegal residents from the country. About half had criminal convictions.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/01/immigration_crackdown_in_grand.html?utm_source=fee dburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+grpress+%28The+Grand+Rapids+P ress+Latest+News+|+MLive.com%29
Published: Friday, January 21, 2011, 1:15 PM Updated: Friday, January 21, 2011, 3:33 PM
A crackdown on illegal immigration led to 77 arrests, most of them from Mexico, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.
Forty-one came from Mexico, while 27 came from Guatemala, seven from Honduras, and one each from China and Laos.
They were arrested in a four-day operation, ending late Thursday, that targeted illegal residents, immigration fugitives and immigration violators. The operation was conducted by ICE's enforcement and fugitives teams in the Grand Rapids area.
“A top priority for the Detroit Field Office is to locate and arrest criminal aliens and ultimately remove them from our country in a safe and humane manner,” said Rebecca Adducci, an ICE field office director in Detroit.
ICE has agents assigned to Grand Rapids, where two large-scale fake document operations have been busted in the last 18 months.
“This operation is yet another example of the critical role that targeted immigration enforcement plays in protecting our communities,” Adducci said in a statement.
Those arrested face deportation and criminal charges. ICE reported arrests in Kent, Ottawa, Kalamazoo, Mason, Berrien, Calhoun and St. Joseph counties. Of those arrested, 22 had prior convictions. Six had previously been deported, but returned to the U.S. Illegally. The government said 35 were immigration fugitives who failed to comply with deportation orders.
Those who failed to comply with deportation orders are subject to immediate removal, ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls said.
Among those arrested were a 32-year-old from Laos, a permanent resident with prior convictions for manslaughter and discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, and a 46-year-old from Mexico, a permanent resident who was convicted of sexual assault of a child, ICE said.
Four of the suspects accused of re-entering the U.S. after being deported will be tried in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids on potential 20-year felonies. Others would be deported or go before an immigration judge.
ICE's fugitive teams look for those who pose a threat to national security and public safety, including “transnational street gangs and child sex offenders.”
ICE last year removed a record 392,800 illegal residents from the country. About half had criminal convictions.
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2011/01/immigration_crackdown_in_grand.html?utm_source=fee dburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+grpress+%28The+Grand+Rapids+P ress+Latest+News+|+MLive.com%29