Officers from US Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) have arrested no less than 314 criminal immigrants in the state of Florida during an enforcement action targeting undocumented immigrants who pose a serious danger to public safety. The operation, which was carried out in September, saw arrests being made across the state by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers, with a number of single arrests made in the counties of Collier, Desoto, Lee and Hendry.
All the undocumented immigrants who were taken into custody as a result of the operation met with at least one of the three enforcement priorities of the agency. Over 25% of those arrested had criminal records, including felony convictions for violent or serious offenses including attempted murder, child sex crimes, drug violations, sex offenses, and murder and weapons charges.
“As this operation makes clear, ICE is committed to prioritizing convicted criminals and those who are public safety threats for apprehension and removal,” says Marc J Moore, the field office director of the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations’ Miami Field Office, which oversees the US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the state of Florida. “Our communities are safer today thanks to the hard work of our officers across the state.”
Sixteen of the undocumented criminal immigrants were individuals who had already been prosecuted for felony re-entry after already having been deported by the US Attorney’s Office.
