News Releases

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending Feb. 18, 2011

Feb. 16, 2011 – ICE special agents brutally attacked; suspects sought by authorities

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agent Jaime Zapata was shot and killed in the line of duty on Tuesday afternoon. Special Agent Victor Avila, Jr. was shot twice in the leg and is recovering from his wounds. They were attacked by unknown assailants while driving between Monterrey, Mexico, and Mexico City. Both special agents were assigned to ICE's attaché office in Mexico City. Full Story

Feb. 16, 2011 – ICE arrests 47 in operation targeting criminal aliens and immigration fugitives

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers arrested more than 40 criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators in Ohio's Franklin, Hamilton and Butler counties. Of those taken into custody, 18 had prior criminal convictions, seven had been previously deported and returned to the United States illegally, and four were immigration fugitives who failed to comply with deportation orders. Full Story

Feb. 15, 2011 – ICE probe leads to arrest of Bakersfield retailer for trafficking counterfeit goods

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents took Eric Huggins, owner of a Bakersfield, Calif., store called "Girlfriends by Design," into custody on Monday after a long-term investigation. Huggins allegedly sold counterfeit designer clothing, accessories and pro sports apparel at his store. Full Story

Feb. 15, 2011 – Queens resident admits to stealing more than $200,000 in credit card "bust out" scam

Guang Ming Zhao, a citizen of China, who last resided in Bayside, Queens, N.Y., pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court to one count of access-device fraud stemming from a credit card "bust out" scheme. The scheme defrauded financial institutions of more than $200,000. ICE HSI investigated this case. Full Story

Feb. 14, 2011 – Sweetheart, but fake, deals put on ICE

As part of "Operation Broken Hearted," ICE HSI agents served court orders seizing 18 website domain names for selling counterfeit goods. This operation is the fourth phase of "Operation in Our Sites," a sustained initiative aimed at curbing counterfeiting and piracy over the Internet. Full Story