Officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested more than a dozen undocumented Santa Maria residents over the course of a three-day sweep beginning on Sunday, June 10.
The arrests were part of a larger operation that resulted in more than 160 arrests in Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties.
A spokesperson for the agency described the operation as one that “targeted public safety threats,” such as convicted criminals and gang members, and “individuals who have violated” United States immigration laws–including those who re-entered the country after being deported, as well as immigration fugitives ordered deported by federal immigration judges.
ICE operates in specific zones it dubs “areas of responsibility” instead of county by county. Santa Maria falls in the Los Angeles area. The zone has seen a considerable increase in arrests and deportations over the past two years, according to data compiled by the agency. In 2017, ICE arrested 8,419 undocumented immigrants and deported 7,970, compared to 7,651 arrests and 6,722 deportations the year before.
Of the 162 immigrants nabbed in the most recent June raid, “almost 90 percent” had criminal convictions, according to the agency. But information about those criminal convictions was not released, and immigration advocates say that some of the convictions could be related to simple border crossings. In total, 22 were arrested in Santa Barbara County, with 15 in Santa Maria.
On April 6, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the Trump administration announced a “zero tolerance” policy for illegal entry into the country. It directs U.S. Attorney’s offices to adopt a policy that criminally prosecutes all violators. The policy has been the center of controversy in recent weeks because it facilitates separating children from their parents while the adults face criminal charges in court.
When ICE announced the most recent arrests in the Los Angeles area, it pointed to several high-profile law breakers the sweep netted. The agency noted that 53 of the cases had detainers–an instance where ICE asks local law enforcement for notification when an undocumented immigrant in custody is scheduled to be released.
Other cases, the agency claimed but did not offer specifics on, included individuals with convictions for serious offenses involving weapons violations, domestic violence, various drug charges, sex crimes against children, assault against peace officers or emergency personnel, and grand theft or larceny.
Those not being criminally prosecuted will be processed for removal from the country, a spokesperson said.
“At-large criminal alien arrests are among the most dangerous types of enforcement actions ICE officers are engaged in on a daily basis,” stated David Marin, field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Los Angeles.
Marin said the the agency would “continue to dedicate more resources to conduct at-large arrests,” in the future.
Following the three-day raid, ICE officials doubled down on its commitment to focusing its enforcement resources on individuals “who pose a threat to national security, public safety, and border security,” but added the agency “does not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement.
“All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention, and if found removable by final order, deported.”
This article appears in Jun 21-28, 2018.