During a two-day enforcement operation that took place between December 18 and December 20, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) says agents arrested violent criminals who were not only convicted, but were also illegally living in the United States.
Agents arrested 26 individuals, including a 19-year-old El Salvadoran national who was convicted of a forced oral sexual felony of a minor and battery by restraint. Another criminal is a 40-year-old Mexican citizen convicted of felony lewd acts with a child and continuous sexual abuse. Another is a 35-year-old Guatemalan citizen convicted of felony child molestation in an inhabited dwelling; and the list goes on and on.
ERO Los Angeles FOD Thomas Giles said, “Removing these individuals and the threats they represent from our communities is our mission, and we will continue to safely and effectively enforce the immigration laws of our nation.”
ICE ERO agents have been removing dangerous criminals wanted in their home countries after they’ve fled to the U.S. to avoid going to prison. They’ve also been arresting MS-13 gang members on El Salvador’s Top 100 list, a Brazilian military officer involved in a 2015 massacre, and those with criminal convictions for certain felonies or other crimes. These include “murder for hire, manslaughter, sex crimes against children, assault with a firearm, battery, domestic violence, drug trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and driving under the influence.”
Officials are combating the illegal immigration crisis as another caravan of migrants are heading to the southern border; reports suggest there are anywhere from 8,000 to 15,000 in the group.
The Center Square reports that in a September 2021 memo, Mayorkas instructed ICE agents that illegal entry is no longer a crime in itself or a deportable offense, even though federal law specifically states that it is. His policy states: “The fact an individual is a removable noncitizen therefore should not alone be the basis of an enforcement action against them. We will use our discretion and focus our enforcement resources in a more targeted way. Justice and our country’s well-being require it.”
