An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation that took place over the past four days in northern California in an area that stretched from Bakersfield to the border with the state of Oregon, concluded on Wednesday with 232 immigrants arrested, a notable increase compared to the more than 150 detainees who had been initially reported.
Of those arrested, ICE claims that 180 have criminal convictions, had final deportation orders or had illegally re-entered the country. To confirm that its actions focus on violent offenders, the federal agency stressed that in this operation it captured 115 people sentenced for serious offenses, such as sexual crimes with minors, carrying weapons, attacks and drug trafficking.
These arrests were made in San Leandro, Fresno, Sacramento, Vallejo and the Bay Area.
“ICE concentrates its resources on people who represent a threat to national security, public security and border security,” the agency said in a statement.
The agency said some of the arrested people will face federal criminal prosecution for illegal entry and re-entry after deportation; other cases will be processed administratively. Those who have pending deportation orders or who re-entered without authorization to the US are subject to immediate expulsion.
The rest of the detainees are waiting for a hearing before an immigration judge or an agreement to be deported in the near future, he said.
ICE did not specify how many people who were not on her list of fugitives ended up detained, but she did warn that she stopped capturing “dangerous criminals” because of a warning the mayor of Oakland made to the community over the weekend.
The end of this operation does not end the controversy regarding the tweet sent by Libby Schaaf on Saturday warning of a possible migratory operation in northern California. ICE claimed that some of the criminals he was looking for escaped through this message . This Thursday, the White House reported that the Department of Justice reviews the actions of the official.
A spokesman for Trump’s government said federal prosecutors are analyzing whether Mayor Schaaf violated any law for her tweet, which has been described as “outrageous” by the White House and “imprudent” by ICE. The city she governs, Oakland, has been called a migrant sanctuary. It is located in a region inhabited by almost 600,000 undocumented. And despite the controversy, the official stressed that she is on their side.
“I think it’s outrageous that a mayor eludes the federal authorities and certainly puts them in danger by making a move like that,” said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who said Schaaf’s actions were under “review.” “, although he did not give more details.
On Tuesday, the interim director of ICE, Thomas D. Homan, criticized that the Schaaf tweet spoiled their capture plan.
“864 foreign criminals and the threat to public safety remain in the community and I have to believe that some of them could elude us thanks to the mayor’s irresponsible decision,” Homan said, saying that the official’s warning put her agents and the community.
According to ICE, among the fugitives who failed to put behind bars are a Honduran who has been arrested several times in San Francisco for possession and transportation of cocaine, in addition to having sex with a child under 16; as well as a Mexican who was convicted of carrying a firearm, transporting and selling narcotics and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI). Both subjects have been deported from the country several times
But the mayor responded with another tweet saying “I do not regret sharing this information”, underlining that its “duty and moral obligation” is to protect their communities, “particularly the most vulnerable”, referring to those who lack immigration documents.
“It was my intention that a mother or father use the information to help keep their family together,” the official said in a statement.
During fiscal year 2017, ICE arrested 20,201 people in California, of whom 81% have criminal convictions, according to official figures.
ICE highlighted the recent detention of Armando Núñez Salgado, a 38-year-old Mexican who is a member of the ‘Sureños’ gang. This man who has been deported four times has accumulated sentences that total more than 15 years in prison for assault with a deadly weapon, attack and robbery.
Others arrested this week in Sacramento, Stockton, San Francisco and Bay Point are:
- A Mexican who has criminal convictions for possession of a firearm, inflicting bodily injury to a spouse, DUI, theft, threatens to terrorize, attacking a policeman and resisting arrest. This man is identified as a member of the band ‘Sureños’.
- A Guatemalan who has a criminal conviction for false imprisonment.
- A Mexican deported eight times who has a conviction for deadly weapon attack.
- A Salvadoran who has criminal convictions, including attack with force.
- A Mexican who has been sentenced for obscene and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age.
- A Mexican who has criminal convictions for assault and DUI.
- A Salvadoran sentenced several times for driving drunk or drugged (DUI).
Juana loves to cover the tech and gaming industry, she always stays on the first row of CES conference and reports live from there.