U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced on May 8 the arrests of criminal illegal aliens from Mexico and Cuba, including two convicted child sex offenders, one individual convicted of assaulting a pregnant woman, and two drug traffickers.
The agency said the enforcement actions focused on individuals who entered the country illegally after prior convictions for serious offenses. The arrests included cases involving continuous sexual abuse with a child under 14 in California, lewd conduct with a minor under 16 in Idaho, cocaine trafficking in Florida, assault on a pregnant woman in Texas, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Florida, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
In Florida, ICE collaborated with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement during Operation Criminal Return, a statewide initiative that resulted in the arrest of 230 criminal illegal aliens who are registered sex offenders with criminal histories. The crimes included sexual assault, sexual battery, lewd and lascivious molestation of children, possession of narcotics, burglary, attempted premeditated murder with a deadly weapon, and aggravated battery, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
DHS said nearly 70 percent of ICE arrests involve illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the United States. The figure does not include foreign fugitives, terrorists, or gang members without a domestic criminal record, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was established in 2003 as part of the Department of Homeland Security. The agency conducts criminal investigations and enforces immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
