US News
More than 1,300 arrested in massive California illegal immigration sweep
Oct 3, 2007, 14:59 GMT
Los Angeles - Federal officials have arrested more than 1,300 criminal illegal immigrants in southern California over the past two weeks in the biggest operation of its kind in the US, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
Most of those arrested either have criminal records or have failed to abide by deportation orders. More than 600 of those arrested have already been deported.
An official announcement of the operation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected later Wednesday.
Officials stepped up their crackdown on criminal illegal immigrants following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, and intensified their actions even further during failed efforts to pass an immigration reform bill.
Previously the biggest such operation entailed the arrest of 1,297 undocumented immigrants at meat processing plants in six states last December. The California operation netted 1,327 arrests.
'Where these laws may not have been enforced in the past, that has changed,' said Jim Hayes, Los Angeles field office director for ICE.
Immigrant rights groups protested the arrests, saying they broke up families and created an inaccurate impression of the immigrant community. Enforcement actions also cause fear in immigrant neighborhoods and families that may include US citizens.
'It directs public attention away from the real need to reform the immigration system overall,' Reshma Shamasunder, director of the California Immigrant Policy Center, told the paper. 'This is not going to solve our problems. This is just one narrow-minded, mean-spirited way of trying to fix the immigration problem.'
About 1,100 of the recent arrestees were from Mexico. An additional 170 were from Central America, and others were from countries including Vietnam, Indonesia and Ireland. They had committed crimes such as burglary, domestic violence, assault and transportation of drugs, agents said. Some of them were legal, permanent residents who were deportable because of the crimes they committed.
The operation relied on close cooperation between the ICE and local law enforcement agencies. In the past local authorities often refrained from checking the immigration status of suspects. But under a new programme the status of jailed inmates was ascertained and they were handed over to immigration agents after serving their sentences, rather than simply being released from jail.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said his department had identified and interviewed 8,000 illegal immigrant inmates in the county jail system between January and September. In Orange County, officials found that about 10 per cent of the 46,000 inmates who have gone through the system since mid-January were illegal immigrants.
According to the report, officers arrested 530 immigrants in their homes and workplaces and took custody of nearly 800 others from jails in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Overall, there are an estimated 595,000 immigration fugitives in the United States, down 37,000 from a year ago, according to the ICE.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
blog comments powered by DisqusLatest Headlines in US
- 1. Mitt Romney Addresses Tea Party Summit Pictures
- 2. Seven injured as US Navy plane crashes into apartments
- 3. At least three injured in US Navy plane crash
- 4. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, others to face death penalty trial
- 5. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, four others to face death penalty trial
Older Talkback
page: 1
I just hope this is a real 'good faith' action on the part of the Bush administration. So much of what he's done has been fraudulent that I no longer trust anything he's involved with. Still, if it is being done in good faith then I commend I.C.E. for their efforts. Keep up the good work despite your bosses.
The country is now at twice over the Optimal Population level. Every person coming into this country dilutes the standard of living for the citizens here. At some point, the standard of living for our citizenry will be so low that dictatorship will be inevitable. Bush has already given us a real taste of what that would be like. We absolutely cannot afford to tolerate illegals and need to seriously cap legal immigration to stop our over-population problem. The U.S. may have been a source of refuge for the oppressed in the past but it can no longer be a dumping ground for every other countries problems. Just because Mexico wants to copulate itself into extinction doesn't mean we have to provide overflow relief. Send the illegals home and put Americans back to work.
Excellent so many illegal alien criminals have been apprehended and deported! Congratulations ICE! Citizens of the United States deeply appreciate your efforts under trying circumstances. There are still many more violators to be apprehended and deported, both in California and nationwide.
Regaining control of the population at large is made more difficult by the clamoring illegal immigration organizations and even some Churches who have a completely unrealistic view of the truth of the necessity to uphold the statuate laws of the United States. Pro-illegal immigration proponents are loud, vocal, and do provoke emotional pleas to attempt the nullification of our immigration laws. No nation can permit rampant un-controlled immigration. To do so would end society, which must exist to sustain and support its citizens. Our entire system is ordered and must remain so for social programs long in force to continue to function. Some examples are emergency medical services, and social security. There are many others...
People who break the law and ignore immigration regulations are extremely selfish and irresponsible. Thinking only of themselves and the havoc they create taking what they want, they bring innocents into the world of their crimes by having children, and other involvments while residing here illegally, seeking services an benefits they have no right to obtain. People who are not citizens have no status to demand or vote.
Now that many are being rightfully deported we witness the hurt these violaters have brought upon themselves and their offspring. ICE conducts their operations at great expense and does it as humanely and expeditiously as possible. There are difficulties caused by the violators.
iT isn't a pleasant job.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, of San Francisco recently extended a stay order on the 'No Match' DHS social security letters lawfully sent out by DHS (Department of Homeland Security) The Judge has done a great dis-service to U.S. Citizens through such an action, and acts injuriously to the best interest of the United States Government. All the judge accomplished was futher confusion to the populace! Th citizens of the United State demand the Judge uphold U.S. Law, and act accordingly.
All illegal immigrants are advised to return to their country of origin now. To continue to break the law will result in their forceable deportation, and may have other consequences.
GREAT NEWS, fantastic, go ICE, keep charging.
These people don't deserve to be here. America and Los Angeles (the 'sanctuary city') will be better places to live. My guess is by raiding these 1300 illegals we are probably saving from 10 to 100 lives in just the coming year
Lets see, only 5,890,987 more to go in California. Then no ones lawns will be mowed, no construction will be completed, crops will not be picked, no one will have a nanny and on and on.
Your kids are too lazy to do the work these people do, what will you do to replace all of these workers. Did you not notice the unemployment rate is around 5%---no one to do their jobs. I am sure the right wing of this country has a plan, they are such great leaders and have not gotten us into truoble yet..................
Golly, thats terrific. Anyone thought of building a fence yet?
It is time this country sent a message to be heard loud and clear. The party is over!
More than 83% were mexicans. It is great to see the number of cockroach arrests going up. It will be even better when the cockroach deportation numbers start increasing too! Time for you illegals to go home. Round up your family members and deport yourselves today!
'Primitivo Rodríguez, a Mexico City resident,....said he worries that it's too late for the Mexican government to try a new strategy, and many Mexicans may soon be returning to a country unable to provide good-paying jobs.'
'There is a tsunami, not a thunderstorm, coming toward us, and I don't think the government has a plan,' said Mr. Rodríguez, coordinator of the Coalition for the Political Rights of Mexicans Abroad, which has members in Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston. 'What will Mexico do with so many unhappy, desperate people? Mexico is simply not prepared for what's coming next.'
dallasnews dot com sharedcontent / dws / news / world / mexico / stories / 100407dnmetconsulates dot 368b595 dot html
Let's keep the pressure on!! Hopefully, soon, these illegal invaders will take up the initiative to DEMAND changes from their own government instead of demanding unearned 'rights' and amnesty from ours!
Just get rid of them all???? Tori Ohno? Just like that ha? Well let me tell you... I'm not one of those protestors, but I do happen to know a few illegal immigrants who are as decent as you and I. They do not commit any crime and if trying to live a better live is a crime, than I don't know. It's not that easy. Be gratefull and lucky that you are not an illegal immigrant and that you do not have to deal with those kinds of issues. We all should!!!!!
I do however agree that this crack down on crimial illegal immigrants may be called a success.
Well I think that it is about time that something is being done with illegal imigration. Im sorry, but all they are doing is over crowding all of our schools, Dr. offices, hospitals,the streets, freeways, etc. They are exhausting the system, and I know a couple of families who has chosen to move from California because of the mexicans and the havoc they cause here. Just look around. It is so much criminal activity, they are killing innocent people,killing the police, and always in the news for negative doings. mexicans are a nuesance to every one including to your fellow people. I know some legal hispanics who also complain about the illegal hispanics. Now you know it must be aproblem when its like that. I for one would not miss them if they were deported, not one bit. Cause that would mean no more congesting the streets, malls, stores, highways, more jobs, our population would go down significantly! I don't even like to go out side my home if I don't have to because I don't want to look at them. but One thing I do believe is that because it is so many of them, it's going to be so hard to get rid of them. they always driving around with their mexican flags and mexican pride on their license plates, but they don't want to go back to mexico! Wow go figure. they have made california into waht they have set out to do: make it into little mexico
page: 1
Tori OhnoOct 3rd, 2007 - 16:43:34
I'd say at least 90 percent of us are applauding this crack down on illegals. But just wait. I can just hear the protestors now with their whiney anti-american attitudes, saying it's okay to break the law and let these criminals stay. Enough already! Get rid of them all.
Report this comment