Word is that ICE is going to start raids on Imigrants in certain bay area cities such as san jose,oakland,frisko,hayward and other spots where their is a large amount of "illegal" immigrants.... Its crazy to here the ice spokeswomen speak so pasionately about getting "these people" out of "our" country who are here "illegally".. Only in america...
Oct 3, 2007 11:38 pm US/Pacific
AP) LOS ANGELES Federal authorities rounded up more than 1,300 illegal immigrants in Southern California during the past two weeks in what officials said Wednesday was the largest sweep of its kind.
The raids targeted illegal immigrants who had criminal records, defied final deportation orders or re-entered the U.S. illegally, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
About 90 percent of the people taken into custody fell under those categories and included immigrants convicted of sex offenses, assaults and kidnapping, as well as suspected street gang members.
"These aren't people that we want in our communities. These aren't just people looking for work," said Jim Hayes, director of the ICE office in Los Angeles.
Most of the immigrants were found at their homes, workplaces or local jails throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Nearly 600 have already been returned to their native countries, officials said.
Others will be prosecuted in the U.S. for illegal re-entry to the United States after felony deportations. The federal crime can carry up to 20 years in prison.
The illegal immigrants arrested in the sweeps represented about 30 countries, but the vast majority—more than 1,100 -- were Mexican nationals.
The operation by ICE fugitive operation teams resulted in 1,327 arrests, exceeding the 1,297 arrests the agency made last year in raids targeting meat processing plants in six states.
There are believed to be nearly 597,000 immigrant fugitives in the U.S., according to ICE.
AP) LOS ANGELES Federal authorities rounded up more than 1,300 illegal immigrants in Southern California during the past two weeks in what officials said Wednesday was the largest sweep of its kind.
The raids targeted illegal immigrants who had criminal records, defied final deportation orders or re-entered the U.S. illegally, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
About 90 percent of the people taken into custody fell under those categories and included immigrants convicted of sex offenses, assaults and kidnapping, as well as suspected street gang members.
"These aren't people that we want in our communities. These aren't just people looking for work," said Jim Hayes, director of the ICE office in Los Angeles.
Most of the immigrants were found at their homes, workplaces or local jails throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Nearly 600 have already been returned to their native countries, officials said.
Others will be prosecuted in the U.S. for illegal re-entry to the United States after felony deportations. The federal crime can carry up to 20 years in prison.
The illegal immigrants arrested in the sweeps represented about 30 countries, but the vast majority—more than 1,100 -- were Mexican nationals.
The operation by ICE fugitive operation teams resulted in 1,327 arrests, exceeding the 1,297 arrests the agency made last year in raids targeting meat processing plants in six states.
There are believed to be nearly 597,000 immigrant fugitives in the U.S., according to ICE.