ICE arrests 280 convicted criminals in Midwest during month-long surge

CHICAGO — Two hundred-eighty convicted criminal aliens were arrested in six Midwestern states during a monthlong initiative that ended Saturday and was conducted by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).

This enforcement surge, which began May 18 and concluded June 13, is the latest effort by ICE to prioritize the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens. The arrests were made in the following six states: Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri. The 272 men and eight women arrested are from 22 countries.

All 280 individuals arrested have been convicted of crimes in the United States and fall within ICE’s enforcement priorities for deportation. Overall, their convictions include: aggravated robbery, armed robbery, drug possession, burglary, aggravated drunken driving, illegal possessing a weapon by a felon, battery, hit-and-run, and drug trafficking.

ICE officers arrested 58 men in the Greater Chicago area from the following countries: Mexico (47), China (2), Guatemala (2), Honduras (2), India (2), Poland (2) and El Salvador (1). The majority of the arrests (34) were made in Chicago, with additional arrests in the following communities: Addison, Bartlett, Belvidere, Elgin, Evanston, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Hoffman Estates, Joliet, Justice, Merrillville (Indiana), Naperville, Oak Lawn, St. Charles, Stickney, Streamwood, Summit, Waukegan and Wheaton.

Following are two case examples of individuals arrested in the Chicago area:

• A previously deported 36-year-old Mexican national with prior criminal convictions for aggravated drunken driving/great bodily harm, a felon possessing a firearm, and leaving the scene of an accident. A documented member of the Vice Lord street gang, he was arrested May 26 in Joliet, Illinois, and remains in ICE custody pending deportation.
• A 35-year-old Mexican national with prior criminal convictions for burglary, aggravated robbery and drug possession. He was arrested May 18 in Chicago and remains in ICE custody pending deportation.

“Our dedicated officers strive to make our communities safer by arresting convicted criminal aliens and removing them from the United States," said Ricardo Wong, field officer director for ERO Chicago. "By focusing our resources on the most egregious offenders, we ensure the very best use of our resources while immediately improving public safety.”

In fiscal year 2014, ICE conducted 315,943 removals nationwide. Eighty-five percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.