WASHINGTON: The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says a Jamaican is among more than 2,000 convicted criminals arrested in a five-day nationwide operation.
ICE said that the operation, which targeted convicted “criminal aliens” subject to removal from the United States, yielded the arrest of 2,059 convicted criminals.
ICE said the unidentified Jamaican citizen was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia. He was convicted in 2014 of breaking and entering, larceny, speeding to elude arrest and assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer.
“This nationwide operation led to the apprehension of more than 2,000 convicted criminal aliens who pose the greatest risk to our public safety,” said Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas.
“Today, communities around the country are safer because of the great work of the men and women of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” he added.
ICE said those arrested are from 94 countries and have a wide array of criminal convictions including more than 1,000 individuals who had multiple criminal convictions, ICE said.
Some were also known gang members or affiliates, and 89 were convicted sex offenders, ICE said, adding that the vast majority of misdemeanor convictions were for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI).
ICE said the last Cross Check operation in August 2013 resulted in the arrest of 1,517 convicted criminals, as well as 143 other priority individuals for a total of 1,660 arrests.