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Four-Day Sting Leads to Arrest of 51 Criminal Aliens, Immigration Fugitives

Written by FEDagent on 31 January 2013. Posted in The Takedown

Fifty-one convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators have been arrested following a four-day, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-led operation in northern Illinois and northwest Indiana.

The operation was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago.

Of those arrested, 44 had prior convictions for crimes such as child molesting, aggravated battery, drunken driving, criminal sexual abuse, fraud and drug possession, ICE said. Eighteen individuals had been previously ordered to leave the United States, but never left.

“Our focus on criminals has an immediate positive impact by significantly improving the safety and security of our communities,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director for ERO Chicago. “By arresting and removing criminals and egregious immigration violators, we ensure the best use of agency resources and a continued focus on public safety.”

The majority of those arrested were of Mexican origin, but individuals from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, Guatemala, Jordan, Korea, Pakistan and Poland were also arrested during the operation.

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