ICE arrests 24 during 3-day operation targeting criminal aliens, immigration fugitives in Indianapolis area
INDIANAPOLIS — As
part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) ongoing commitment to
prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law
violators, 24 convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and
immigration violators were arrested during a three-day operation in the
Indianapolis area.
This operation concluded
Monday and was conducted by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations teams in
Indianapolis.
Of the 24 arrested, 17 had
prior convictions for crimes such as: drug possession, resisting arrest,
drunken driving, illegally re-entering the U.S. after deportation, and criminal
trespass. Three of the 24 were immigration fugitives who had been previously
ordered to leave the country but failed to depart. Another three had been
previously deported and illegally re-entered the United States, which is a felony.
Following is the
nationality breakdown of the 23 men and one woman arrested: Mexico (17),
Guatemala (3), El Salvador (2), Honduras (1), and Venezuela (1). The majority
of the arrests occurred in Indianapolis, with some arrests made in Franklin and
Plainfield.
Following are summaries of
two individuals arrested during this operation:
- A 23-year-old Mexican
national previously convicted of drug possession and sentenced to 180
days. He was arrested July 15 at his Indianapolis residence and remains in
ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
- A 33-year-old Guatemalan
national previously convicted of resisting a law enforcement officer and
sentenced to a year in prison. He was arrested July 16 at his residence in
Indianapolis. He remains in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
“ERO is committed
to making our communities safer by arresting and removing convicted criminal
aliens and immigration fugitives,” said Ricardo Wong, field office director for
ICE ERO in Chicago. “By targeting our efforts on these egregious offenders, we
are improving public safety while making the best use of our resources.”
These arrests were
coordinated with ICE's National Fugitive Operations Program (NFOP), which is
responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large
criminal aliens and immigration fugitives – aliens who have ignored final
orders of deportation handed down by the nation's immigration courts. ICE's
Fugitive Operations Teams give top priority to cases involving aliens who pose
a threat to national security and public safety, including members of
transnational street gangs and child sex offenders.
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