Over the past two weeks, federal officers in Southern California have arrested more than 1,300 immigrants that have either criminal records or have failed to comply with their deportation orders and had reentered the United States after being removed. In Orange County alone, officials say that about 10% of the 46,000 inmates in their system were illegal immigrants since mid-January.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, called it the largest sweep in the U.S. to date. Officers arrested 530 immigrants at home, work and took custody of nearly 800 others from jails in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Since 9/11, the pressure has been rising on the federal government to crack down on illegal immigrants, especially those who have committed crimes.
To ensure that criminals are not just released from jail but properly identified and deported. The ICE has recently created a 24-hour command center, that comes with specific e-mail address and phone number, so local law enforcement agencies can exchange information with federal authorities to identify possible deportees.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, called it the largest sweep in the U.S. to date. Officers arrested 530 immigrants at home, work and took custody of nearly 800 others from jails in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
Since 9/11, the pressure has been rising on the federal government to crack down on illegal immigrants, especially those who have committed crimes.
To ensure that criminals are not just released from jail but properly identified and deported. The ICE has recently created a 24-hour command center, that comes with specific e-mail address and phone number, so local law enforcement agencies can exchange information with federal authorities to identify possible deportees.
ICE has formal agreements with Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange and San Bernardino counties that allow local sheriff's officials to check the immigration status of inmates.
Many people like Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca called the partnership between ICE and jail personnel "very successful" with his department identifying and interviewing 8,000 illegal immigrant inmates in the county jail system between January and September.
One rising backlash is the special treatment that illegal immigrants receive. Like, Special Order 40 that prohibits Los Angeles officers asking immigrates status of suspects in most routine cases. However, anti-illegal immigrant groups are suing to overturn the order.
These federal arrests signal a change in how Immigration and Customs Enforcement deals with fugitives and violators. Compare to the past, where most immigrants simply ignored their deportation orders, knowing there was little chance of arrest. Even those who were detained often posted bond and hid in plain sight in the community.
In 2003, ICE created 17 fugitive operations teams that soul purpose was to target specific immigrants. There are now 75 teams around the nation, including five in the Los Angeles area alone. Since the program's inception, ICE teams have arrested more than 61,000 immigrants, including 17,331 who had criminal convictions.
Overall, there are an estimated 595,000 immigration fugitives in the United States, down 37,000 from a year ago marking the first-ever decline, ICE authorities said.
Many of people arrested committed such crimes as burglary, domestic violence, assault and transportation of drugs, agents say. Some of them were legal, permanent residents who were deportable because of the crimes they committed.
Ramon Yac Mahik (to the left) a thirty-five year old male from Guatemala was one of many arrested from their homes by ICE fugitive teams. He had previous convictions for vehicle theft and domestic violence.
In an interview later that morning, at an immigration processing center in Santa Ana. He acknowledged his criminal past but said it was from years ago and he deserved to have a second chance to stay in the United States.
"I don't consider myself a criminal," he said in Spanish. "I would like to fight to see if they let me stay here with my children. To leave them abandoned would be horrible for me. . . . And I don't want them to suffer."
He works in the garment industry and has three U.S.-born children, ages 16, 10 and 5. His wife was injured in a recent car accident and can't work, he said.
Mahik was oringially ordered to be deported in 1999 after posting bond and then failing to show up in court.
These arrests break up families and create an unfair and inaccurate impression of the immigrant community, which is largely law-abiding, said Reshma Shamasunder, director of the California Immigrant Policy Center. Enforcement actions also cause fear in immigrant neighborhoods and families that may include U.S. citizens.
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