ICE arrests more than 2,900 convicted criminal aliens, fugitives in enforcement operation throughout all 50 states

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ICE arrests more than 2,900 convicted criminal aliens, fugitives in enforcement operation throughout all 50 states

111 arrested throughout New England

BOSTON – As part of the Obama administration's ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced the results of a seven-day national "Cross Check" enforcement operation - which led to the arrest of more than 2,900 convicted criminal aliens, including 111 in New England.

"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment to public safety," said Vincent Archibeque, acting Field Office Director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) for New England. "When we focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens we get an immediate payback in our communities. Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers and agents, along with our state and local law enforcement partners, there are 111 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods across New England."

In New England, all 111 taken into custody had prior criminal convictions, including 64 aliens who had multiple criminal convictions. Additionally, 82 of those arrested in New England had felony convictions. Four were also gang members and five were convicted sex offenders.

In an unrelated event during the course of this operation, an ICE officer and two Middlesex Sheriff's Office deputies saved a man's life. On Sept. 18, 2011, in Lowell, Mass., ICE Deportation Officer Karen Bruce and Sheriff's Office Deputies Todd Courtemanche and Buntha Kieng were en route to one of their Cross Check targets when they saw a man being stabbed repeatedly. They immediately hit their lights and siren, and the suspect fled. Officer Bruce and one of the deputies caught up with and apprehended the suspect. The victim had multiple stab wounds. As a result of the quick action of Officer Bruce and Deputies Courtemanche and Kieng, the victim survived. The apprehended suspect has been charged with armed assault with intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

This seven-day operation, the largest of its kind, involved the collaboration of more than 1,900 ICE officers and agents from all 24 ICE ERO field offices, as well as coordination with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners throughout the United States. Arrests occurred in all 50 states and four U.S. territories.

All of the 2,901 individuals taken into custody across the United States had prior criminal convictions including at least 1,282 aliens who had multiple criminal convictions. More than 1,600 of those arrested had felony convictions including manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, drug trafficking, child abuse, sexual crimes against minors, and aggravated assault. Of the total 2,901 criminal aliens arrested, 42 were gang members and 151 were convicted sex offenders.

In addition to being convicted criminals, 681 of those arrested were also immigration fugitives who had previously been ordered to leave the country but failed to depart. Additionally, 386 were illegal re-entrants who had been previously removed from the country multiple times. Because of their serious criminal histories and prior immigration arrest records, at least 146 of those arrested during the enforcement action were presented to U.S attorneys for prosecution on a variety of charges including illegal re-entry after deportation, a felony which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

Arrests in New England include:

• Euford Brown, 60, a national of Jamaica, who was residing in Mattapan, Mass., was an ICE fugitive alien and a registered sex offender convicted on April 2, 1986, of rape.
• A national of the Dominican Republic was arrested by ICE in Hartford, Conn. The man was convicted of possession of narcotics (cocaine) and possession of narcotics with intent to sell (heroin). He was also convicted of assault.
• A national of Haiti was arrested by ICE in Stratford, Conn. The man was convicted of possession with the intent to distribute a controlled substance (cocaine).
• A national of the Dominican Republic was arrested by ICE in Providence, R.I. The man was convicted of domestic assault. He was also convicted for a felony assault.

ICE conducted the first successful Cross Check operation in December 2009, and has since conducted Cross Check operations in 37 states, including regional operations in the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest regions. In May, ICE conducted the first nationwide Cross Check operation. These previous Cross Check operations resulted in ICE arresting 4,506 convicted criminals, fugitives and aliens nationwide who have illegally re-entered the United States after removal.

Last week's enforcement action was spearheaded by ICE's National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP), which is responsible for locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens and immigration fugitives. The officers who conducted last week's operation received substantial assistance from ICE's Fugitive Operations Support Center (FOSC) and ICE's Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) both located in Williston, Vt.

ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security. ICE also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system including immigration fugitives or those criminal aliens who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the country.