February 3, 2009

ICE arrests 117 Florida residents in targeted immigration fugitive operation

MIAMI - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today that a five-day targeted fugitive enforcement operation last week in Miami, Broward, Palm Beach, Orlando, and Tampa areas resulted in the arrest of 117 fugitive aliens and immigration violators.

During the operation, which concluded Friday, ICE officers arrested 89 immigration fugitives who ignored lawful orders of removal and 28 other immigration violators. Of the 117 arrested, 30 had criminal histories that spanned from assault, battery, DUI, aggravated battery, trespassing, larceny, burglary, resisting arrest, soliciting prostitution, cocaine possession, marijuana possession, molestation and transporting narcotics.

The breakdown of the arrests by area is as follows: 47 in Miami-Dade; 25 in Broward; 12 in Palm Beach; 22 in Orlando and 11 in Tampa.

"ICE will continue to arrest and deport aliens who have ignored an immigration judge's order to leave the country," said Michael Rozos, field office director for the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) in Florida. "We will conduct these targeted fugitive operations to ensure that removal orders are carried out and locate these immigration violators who potentially pose a threat to public safety. Those that want to avoid arrest should comply with the law and make arrangements with their families to depart."

During fiscal year 2008, which ended Sept. 30, the ICE Fugitive Operations Teams of the Miami ICE Office of Detention and Removal, which oversees the state of Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have made 2,457 arrests. Of the total, 2,111 were fugitive aliens who had failed to comply with their outstanding deportation orders; 346 were immigration violators encountered by the ICE Fugitive Operations Teams during their targeted arrests. This fiscal year to date, the Miami Fugitive Operations Teams have identified, located and arrested 1,894 fugitive aliens including 504 criminal aliens.

Those arrested during the operation come from countries around the globe including. Honduras, Colombia, Hungary, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru, Brazil, El Salvador, Ecuador, Italy, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Bahamas, Trinidad, Ukraine, Guyana, Greece and the Philippines.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

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