ICE Arrests 286 Immigrants in California
Posted on Dec 11, 2009 1:24pm PST
On December 10, one of the largest operations conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ended. The operation lasted three days and led to the arrest of 286 foreign nationals with criminal records in the state of
California.
Of the 286 people arrested and taken into custody, 119 were from Northern California and 24 were from San Jose, California.
According to the ICE, 80% of the immigrants that were taken into custody has prior convictions for violent crimes, like sex crimes, robbery and weapon offenses. 30 convicted sex offenders were arrested, many of whom had sexually assaulted children.
John Morton, the Homeland Security assistant secretary, said that the results of the operation stemmed from the hard work of 400 ICE agents and officers, along with U.S. Marshals Service and state and local law enforcement agencies.
Morton said, "Enhancing public safety is at the core of ICE's mission." He also said, "Legal immigration is an important part of our country's history, and the American dream exists for many immigrants. However, that dream involves playing by the rules, and those who break our criminal laws will be removed from the country.
100 of the individuals that were arrested have been deported from the United States.
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