Feds nab 2,400 in illegal immigrant sting

[Jeanfromfillmore]

Feds nab 2,400 in illegal immigrant sting
Federal officials announced Tuesday the arrest of more than 2,400 illegal immigrants in a seven-day crackdown targeting those who are convicted criminals.
The operation, called Cross Check, was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs officials in May, federal officials said in a press release.
"The results of this operation underscore ICE's ongoing focus on arresting those convicted criminal aliens who prey upon our communities, and tracking down fugitives who game our nation's immigration system," ICE Director John Morton said in a statement. "This targeted enforcement operation is a direct result of excellent teamwork among law enforcement agencies who share a commitment to protect public safety."
The announcement comes after ICE announced key reforms to its Secure Communities program, which had been criticized by community activists and state officials.
"The big problem is that they were getting mostly noncriminals," Audrey Singer, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and an expert on U.S. immigration policy, told CNN Tuesday. "In many communities across the country, local police have made a lot of headway with local residents. Secure Communities made that relationship more fragile," she said. "In some cases, there was a fear that immigrants would not continue to go to police when a crime was committed."
Pablo Rodriguez, executive director of Communities for a New California, said Cross Check, if not carried out correctly, may have the same fundamental flaws as Secure Communities and may actually reduce crime reporting in the community.
"On a local level, people who have been victims of crime have stopped reporting because they know that any contact with law enforcement would result in their own deportation," he said.
On Tuesday, ICE statement said federal officials had been implementing Cross Check since December 2009 in 37 states, iresulting in 2,064 arrests of convicted criminals, fugitives and undocumented immigrants who have re-entered the country illegally.
The national debate on immigration policy has heated up since Arizona last year passed a law requiring noncitizens to have registration documents on hand at all times. Though key provisions of that law have been tied up in the courts, other states, such as Georgia and Alabama, have followed suit with similar legislation cracking down on illegal immigrants.
Meanwhile, a handful of states have rebuffed federal officials' plans to clamp down on undocumented immigrants.
Earlier this month, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security saying that he would suspend his state's participation in Secure Communities due to "its impact on families, immigrant communities and law enforcement in New York."
"The heart of concern is that the program, conceived of as a method of targeting those who pose the greatest threat in our communities, is in fact having the opposite effect and compromising pubic safety by deterring witnesses to crime and others from working with law enforcement," he wrote.
"Until the numerous questions and controversies regarding the program can be resolved, we have determined that New York is best served by relying on existing tools to ensure the safety of its residents," he added.
Cuomo's move was preceded by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who last month said his state was withdrawing from the program. Massachusetts also rejected it.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/06/21/...ant.crackdown/

June 21, 2011
Immigration officials hold 81 locally as part of national roundup
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 81 people in Colorado and Wyoming as part of a seven-day sweep that targeted immigration fugitives and illegal immigrants with criminal records, ICE announced today.
More than 2,400 people were arrested nationwide as part of the May operation, which authorities say was the largest of its kind.
Of the 81 in the Colorado/Wyoming enforcement area, 79 were in Colorado. The bulk of those arrests occurred in Denver, Aurora and Commerce City.
Included among the arrestees was a 51-year-old man from Libya living in Denver who had been convicted of first-degree sexual asault against a child and domestic violence, according to ICE.
The agency has not released the identity of the other arrestees.
The enforcement was part of ICE's ongoing efforts to prioritize the removal of illegal immigrants who threaten public and national security, said ICE Director John Morton.


http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_18322845
REGION: Nationwide ICE sweep picks up 88 convicted criminals in SD County
A week-long sweep targeting illegal immigrants who are convicted criminals netted more than 2,400 arrests nationwide ---- including 88 in San Diego County, federal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities announced Tuesday.
Some 22 percent of those arrested in the sweep were convicted criminals who had ignored deportation orders, ICE announced. Prior convictions for some of those arrested through the sweep included armed robbery, drug trafficking, child abuse, assault, forgery and drunken driving, ICE officials said.
The sweep, which came during May, was part of a program ICE has dubbed Cross Check, and was the largest thus far of its kind. Cross Check first had operations in December 2009.
Since then, there have been Cross Check operations in 37 states, including regional operations in the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest regions.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/ar...f682c1696.html

[Twoller]

If you are not a citizen but you are here legally, you are obliged to have your papers in order and present them if required. But if you are here illegally, you are not obliged to have your papers in order?