Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0808/080814seattle.htm
ICE repatriates 106 immigration violators to Southeast Asia on Seattle charter flight
Charter is only second ICE removal flight to Indonesia
SEATTLE - In a chartered flight that originated here Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) returned a total of 106 immigration violators to Indonesia and two other Southeast Asian nations, marking only the second time the agency has carried out a such a flight to Indonesia.
ICE Detention and Removal Operations (DRO) coordinated the flight that returned 49 Filipinos, 44 Indonesians and 13 Cambodians to their respective countries. The group included 98 males and eight females. These individuals came into ICE custody from locations throughout the United States and were housed at various detention facilities across the country before being transported to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Wash., shortly before the flight.
Forty-six of those removed had been convicted of criminal offenses while living in the United States. The convictions included felony drug trafficking and possession, child abuse, sex crimes, aggravated assault, weapons possession, identity theft, stalking and burglary.
“This year ICE expects to remove a record number of immigration violators from the country and charter flights like this are helping us to achieve those gains,” said Jim Hayes, acting director of ICE detention and removal operations. “The United States welcomes law-abiding immigrants, but foreign nationals who violate our laws and commit crimes in our communities should be on notice that ICE is going to use all of the tools and resources at its disposal to find you and send you home.”
ICE officers and medical staff with the Division of Immigration Health Services accompanied aliens on the flight along with consular officials from the destination countries.
ICE routinely uses special air charters to transport aliens who have removal orders. Staffed by DRO officers, these air charters enable the agency to repatriate large groups of deportees in an efficient, expeditious, and humane manner.
During the first 10 months of fiscal year 2008, ICE removed more than 235,000 individuals from the United States, including more than 74,000 who had criminal histories.
— ICE —
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/0808/080814bloomington.htm
50 Minnesota gang members, associates and immigration violators arrested during ICE-led operation
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents - in partnership with local, state and federal law enforcement officers - arrested 50 gang members, gang associates and immigration violators in the greater Twin Cities area during a two-week operation that ended Friday. This is the latest joint action of an ongoing national ICE effort to target transnational gang members called “Operation Community Shield.”
Of the 50 arrested during this operation, 35 are gang members; seven are gang associates. They represent the following 10 area gangs: Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Sureño 13, Vatos Locos, 18th Street Gang, Murda Gang, Somali Outlaws, We So Krazy (WSK), Gangster Disciples, Bloods, and Native Mob.
ICE agents also arrested eight illegal aliens with no known gang affiliation who were encountered during the targeted arrests. Thirty-eight of those arrested are illegal aliens and have been placed in deportation proceedings. They include aliens from the following countries: Mexico (29), Honduras (6), El Salvador (2) and Ecuador (1).
Participating law enforcement agencies also arrested 10 U.S. citizens and two U.S. permanent residents (”green card” holders) on various state and federal charges, including: possessing weapons, possessing illicit drugs, and criminal traffic offenses.
Twelve of those arrested had previous convictions which included: assault, possessing illicit drugs, damage to property, burglary, disorderly conduct, and drunken driving.
The multi-agency operation, which began July 28 and ended Aug. 9, targeted transnational gang members and associates in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. This ICE-led operation was conducted in partnership with the Metro Gang Strike Force. Other participating agencies included: Brooklyn Park Police Department; Richfield Police Department; the Minnesota State Patrol; the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“Street gangs pose a growing public safety threat to communities throughout Minnesota,” said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Bloomington. “This operation shows how ICE works with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these criminal organizations.” Arnold oversees a five-state area, which includes: Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
“Everyone is finally realizing that no law enforcement agency can successfully address the gang problem alone,” said Jim Heimerl, assistant commander of the Metro Gang Strike Force. “Together, we can make a positive impact on community safety.”
Most of the arrests were made in Minneapolis and St. Paul; however, arrests were also made in the following local cities: Richfield, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Crystal, Maplewood, Columbia Heights and West St. Paul.
Three of those apprehended have been referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis for criminal prosecution - two for re-entering the United States after having been deported, and one for possessing a controlled substance. It is a felony to re-enter the United States after being formally deported, punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
These arrests were made under an ongoing national ICE initiative called “Operation Community Shield,” in which ICE partners with other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to address the significant public safety threat posed by transnational street gangs. Partnerships with local law enforcement agencies are essential to the success of the initiative, and they help further ensure officer safety during the operations.
Since ICE began Operation Community Shield in February 2005, more than 10,000 gang members belonging to more than 700 different gangs have been arrested nationwide. More information on Operation Community Shield is available at: www.ice.gov.
The public is encouraged to report suspicious activity by calling ICE’s toll-free hotline at: 1-866- 347-2423. This hotline is staffed around the clock.
— ICE —