ICE DEPORTS 116 MEXICAN NATIONALS ON WEEKLY FLIGHT

CHICAGO - Two men wanted by the Mexican government on murder charges were two of 116 Mexican nationals deported last Friday by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of its weekly removals.

Nearly half of those removed, 52, had criminal convictions for violations ranging from homicide and sexual assault to drug possession and burglary. This large number of removals in one week reflects the national trend of increased deportations as ICE pursues its objective of restoring integrity to the nation's immigration system.

Jose Alvarado-Lopez, 25, and Rolando Robles-Gonzalez, 30, are both illegal aliens wanted by Mexican authorities on outstanding criminal arrest warrants for homicide in the Mexican state of Coahuila. ICE immediately responded after being notified Sept. 8 that Alvarado-Lopez and Robles-Gonzalez were in the custody of the Portland Police Department in Indiana regarding an ongoing homicide investigation in Mexico. Both aliens were turned over to Mexican authorities Friday at the border.

"Our office ensures that the United States doesn't become a haven for criminal aliens," said Field Office Director Deborah Achim, who leads the ICE Detention and Removal Operations in Chicago. "Criminal aliens are not welcome here. ICE works daily to arrest and deport such criminals, especially those who are fugitives in their own countries. At the same time we help make our own communities safer." Achim oversees the program for a six-state arrest including: Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri.

These weekly deportations demonstrate ICE's commitment to restoring integrity to the nation's immigration system. ICE formally removed more than 162,000 aliens nationally in fiscal year 2004. More than half of those were criminal aliens. The ICE Chicago office deported more than 6,100 aliens last year, a 28-percent increase over the previous year.

When air travel is most practical, ICE effects its deportations aboard both commercial and government aircraft. The government's aircraft is run by the U.S. Marshal Service, and is called the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS). JPATS is one of the largest transporters of prisoners in the world and handles hundreds of requests every day to move prisoners and criminal aliens nationally and internationally. There is an automatic 10-year bar against deported aliens from legally re-entering the U.S. Re-entering the U.S. after being formally deported is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/050915chicago_2.htm

6 FUGITIVE ALIENS ARRESTED BY ICE IN ATLANTA

ATLANTA—Six citizens of Guatemala who had been evading lawful orders of removal were arrested here Tuesday by detention and removal officers assigned to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operation Task Force.

Among the arrested was Arnulfo Laynez-Mendez, 28, who had been hiding for the past nine months. Mendez entered the country illegally on March 10, 1998. He was found ineligible for any form of immigration relief and was ordered removed by an immigration judge in Nov. 2004.

“We are committed to restoring integrity to our nation’s immigration system by identifying and removing those with no legal right to remain in the country,” said John A. Mata, field office director for detention and removal in Atlanta. “Those who think they can evade justice are sorely mistaken. We are looking for you and we will find you as mandated by law.”

All of those arrested are in ICE Custody at the Atlanta Pre-Trial Detention Center awaiting removal from the country.

The Atlanta office is home to one of the 18 absconder teams nationwide tasked with locating and apprehending aliens who attempt to hide in the United States despite the lawful orders of immigration judges who have ordered the aliens to leave the country.

In Atlanta, ICE has arrested more than 600 criminal aliens since the beginning of fiscal year 2005. ICE removed over 3,392 illegal aliens from the Atlanta area in fiscal year 2004; 2,105 were criminal aliens.

http://www.ice.gov/graphics/news/newsreleases/articles/050915blair_2.htm

ICE AGENTS ARREST ILLEGAL ALIENS AT OMAHA NUCLEAR PLANT
-- Arrests are latest in series of illegal alien apprehensions at nuclear facilities in recent months --

BLAIR, Neb. — In the latest in a series of arrests involving illegal aliens at nuclear facilities, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents arrested three illegal aliens here Tuesday when they attempted to enter the outer secure area of the Omaha Public Power District’s Fort Calhoun Nuclear Station to perform contract work at the plant for the first time.

The three men, all citizens of Mexico, had been hired by an independent contractor to perform maintenance work at the nuclear facility. As they attempted to enter a secure area of the plant, the men presented identification documents that raised the suspicions of Omaha Public Power District employees. They contacted ICE special agents for assistance, who responded and arrested the men after determining that they were illegally present in the United States.

All three men have been placed in immigration removal proceedings. ICE agents are investigating the circumstances under which the private contractor hired the illegal aliens. ICE agents have determined that the illegal aliens were not engaged in any terrorist activity.

“America’s security depends on controlling access to sensitive facilities like nuclear power plants,” said Michael Wardy, Resident Agent-in-Charge of the ICE office in Omaha. “ICE works closely with these industries across the nation to identify vulnerabilities that pose a potential security threat, then we aggressively act to remove that threat. In this case, the system worked exactly the way it was supposed to because the nuclear plant detected the illegal aliens before they could enter.”

The enforcement action in Nebraska is the latest in a series of ICE arrests involving illegal aliens performing contract work at nuclear plants and other nuclear-related facilities around the country. For example:

* On March 18, 2005, ICE agents arrested an illegal alien who was performing contract pipe insulation work at the Duane Arnold Energy Center Nuclear Power Plant in Palo, Iowa. A federal grand jury later indicted the illegal alien on criminal charges of using and possessing fraudulent documents, as well as making false statements to federal agents. Duane Arnold Energy Center uncovered discrepancies in documents presented by the alien and alerted authorities.

* During a two-week period in March 2005, ICE agents arrested six illegal aliens performing contract maintenance work at the Crystal River Nuclear Power Plant in Citrus, Florida. All were employees of a specialty services company that is now cooperating in an ongoing ICE investigation. One of the illegal aliens was indicted on criminal charges of re-entering the country after deportation, while the others have been placed in immigration removal proceedings.

* On November 7, 2004, ICE agents arrested 44 illegal aliens at the Marley Cooling Technologies factory in Olathe, Kansas, where cooling towers for nuclear plants are manufactured. The illegal aliens had used fraudulent documents and had made false statements to gain employment at the facility. The aliens were placed into immigration removal proceedings. Marley Cooling Technologies cooperated in the investigation.

These arrests are part of Operation Glow Worm, a joint operation launched by ICE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission after 9/11 to screen the workforce at the nation’s 104 nuclear power plants. To date, investigations have been completed at 56 nuclear plants and 1,005 related employers have been inspected, with audits of 64,835 employees having been completed. Numerous unauthorized workers have been arrested and warning notices have been issued to those employing unauthorized workers.

In accordance with ICE’s homeland security mission, ICE special agents prioritize worksite enforcement efforts by focusing on investigations related to critical infrastructure and national security. Unauthorized workers employed at sensitive sites and critical infrastructure facilities — such as airports, seaports, nuclear plants, chemical plants, and defense facilities — pose serious homeland security threats.

Not only are the identities of these individuals in question, but these aliens are also vulnerable to exploitation by terrorists and other criminals given their illegal status in this country. Furthermore, these individuals have access to some of the most sensitive worksites in the nation. ICE often works with employers in these cases to identify and immediately remove illegal workers from these sensitive locations.

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