905 immigration arrest on California
Federal immigration agents have arrested 905 people in California in the past three weeks after a statewide search for those who had violated orders to leave the country. The operation was the latest in a series of national sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.Returning after being deported is a felony offense. In addition a little over a quarter of those arrested had a criminal history in the US. Almost half of those arrested were people not on the list who had immigration violations.The arrests were the result of collaboration among teams in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco that began on May 5.
“The focal point of this operation were people who had exhausted all of their due process in the courts,” said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego. “They have a final order of removal issued by a U.S. immigration judge, and they’ve failed to depart.”
In the process of seeking each person on the list, Ms. Mack said, agents often encountered friends, family members and others who had violated immigration laws.
“Agents may come to a house looking for a target, and someone answers the door, or there are other people in the house who have also violated immigration laws,” she said.
Brian DeMore, acting director of the federal Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Los Angeles, said agents took into custody any person they encountered during an arrest who had violated immigration laws. Agents set out with a target list of just over 1,500 “fugitive aliens,” Mr. DeMore said, referring to people who have ignored orders to leave the country.
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What this demonstrates is what can be accomplished when officials are serious about enforcing the immigration laws. It is political pressure from voters that has spurred this seriousness. Politicians know that they cannot get the political ability to vote for comprehensive reform until they can demonstrate seriousness about the laws on the books. It is about time.
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