74 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions and immigration violations have been arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an operation that crossed two states and lasted as long as 11 days. The majority of those apprehended during the operation, in Ohio and Michigan, had convictions for past offenses, such as drug trafficking, weapons violations, domestic violence, DUI, burglary, fraud, and other serious crimes.
Four of the 74 immigrants arrested are facing the prospect of federal prosecution for re-entering the US after being deported before, a felony punishable by a prison sentence of up to 20 years. The ERO Detroit field office director, Rebecca Adducci, says that such targeted enforcement operations highlight the ongoing commitment by ICE to use the resources of the agency in a strategic fashion to help ensure the safety of communities by promoting public safety and focusing on particularly egregious offenders.
Among those taken into custody during the operation were a 26-year-old man from Guatemala who had been deported from the US on two previous occasions and who has criminal convictions for money laundering and various firearms offenses. There was also an 18-year-old man from the Ukraine, with convictions for burglary and drug possession, and a 26-year-old man from Burma, with prior convictions for possessing a defaced firearm, criminal tools, and aggravated drug possession.
Citizens from 18 different countries, including Guatemala, Honduras, Bhutan, Jamaica, Venezuela, Pakistan, Zambia, Germany, and Mexico were arrested during the sweep.