More than 900 criminal aliens, immigration fugitives, and immigration violators have been removed from the United States or are facing deportation following a three-week enforcement surge by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Teams in California.

During the special operation, which concluded late Tuesday, ICE officers located and arrested a total of 905 immigration violators throughout the state, including 137 in the San Diego area. Of those arrested locally, 73 were immigration fugitives, aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation or who returned to the United States illegally after being removed. More than 40% of the aliens taken into custody in this area had criminal histories in addition to being in the country illegally.

Among those arrested by the Fugitive Operations Teams locally was a 30-year-old Mexican national who was convicted in 1997 for robbery and sentenced to four years in state prison. Last year, Cesar Hernandez-Gallardo lost his appeal to remain in the United States and failed to depart after being ordered deported by an immigration judge. ICE officers also arrested a 37-year-old Mexican national at his residence in Escondido, whose criminal record includes a prior conviction for burglary. He was ordered deported last June and lost his appeal to remain in the United States last month. The other criminal arrests included violent crimes for assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking, domestic violence and sexual assault.

In addition to the local Fugitive Operations Teams, ICE officers from the agency’s teams in Los Angeles and San Francisco were temporarily deployed to the area to assist with this enforcement action.

ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams are tasked with identifying and arresting foreign nationals who have ignored final orders of deportation or have returned to the United States illegally after being removed. The teams prioritize cases involving immigration violators who pose a threat to national security and community safety. These include child sexual exploiters, suspected gang members, and those who have convictions for violent crimes.

“ICE is committed to restoring integrity to this country’s immigration system and that means ensuring that the removal orders handed down by the nation’s immigration courts are carried out,” said Robin Baker, field officer director for ICE detention and removal operations in San Diego. “As a country, we welcome law-abiding immigrants, but foreign nationals who violate our laws and commit crimes in our communities should be on notice that ICE is going to use all of the tools at its disposal to find you and send you home.”

Since many of these individuals have already been ordered deported, they are subject to immediate removal from the United States. More than half of those arrested during the statewide operation have already been removed to their home countries. The remaining aliens are in ICE custody and are awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future.

The Fugitive Operations Program was established in 2003 to eliminate the nation’s backlog of immigration fugitives. Today, ICE has 75 teams deployed across the country, including 13 here in California.

Last year, the nation’s fugitive alien population declined for the first time in history and continues to do so – in large part due to the work of the Fugitive Operations Teams. Estimates now place the number of immigration fugitives in the United States at slightly under 573,000, a decrease of more than 59,000 since October 2006. Given the success of the fugitive operations effort, Congress has authorized ICE to add 29 more Fugitive Operations Teams in fiscal year 2008.

ICE’s Fugitive Operations Program is an integral part of the comprehensive multi-year plan launched by the Department of Homeland Security to secure America’s borders and reduce illegal migration. That strategy seeks to gain operational control of both the northern and southern borders, while re-engineering the detention and removal system to ensure that illegal aliens are removed from the country quickly and efficiently.

Guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of Accuracy in Media or its staff.

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About the author

Jim Kouri CPP
FSM Contributing Editor Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri's website is located at http://jimkouri.us

10 Comments for 900 Criminal Aliens, Immigration Fugitives and Violators Nabbed in San Diego

Brittanicus

These (ICE) sweeps are a provision enacted in the 1986 Simpson/Mazzoli bill, when the first AMNESTY became law. Since then an invasion has taken place, with estimates of between 15 to 38 million aliens illegally settling here. Ted Kennedy promised no more AMNESTIES, but American fell in to a false state of trusting our politicians who have tried several times to bring us another abomination immigration law. We have seen very limited arrest and imprisonment from the aftermath of (ICE) raids. Pariah employers in corporate farms and general businesses, have not seen the interior walls of prison.  Obviously we must relieve America of criminal aliens, but also anybody who flaunts the (IRCA) law. We must insist Democrats endorse the Federal SAVE ACT(H.R.4088), by phoning (2022243121)  There leaders are keeping it dormant, waiting for the new presidents AMNESTY. Except that on its enactment millions more will pour across our border. The millions here already will be dwarfed in comparison to the next onslaughts, coming from third world countries. NUMBERSUSA.
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ladytexan

Brittanicus -

You are right on the money.

These are ‘made for TV’ raids.  They arrest, or say they do, 900.  Many of them they let loose immediately for ‘humanitarian reasons’.  If they have children, etc.

Imagine if they arrested a bank robber, but because he or she had children, they turned them loose.  This is no difference.

This is show and tell.

The employers are the lynchpin of this entire travesty.  We buy their products, they hire illegals, and purchase politicians to make sure the flow is constant, the illegals are safe here, and that taxpayers are forced to support them so they can stay here.  The media is their propaganda instrument.

We could change that within a matter of months if we would all get together in this country – truly a matter of months – a year at the most.

We should be seeing pictures of the employers making the ‘perp walk’ and their bought and paid for politicians as well.

These people are working together to facilitate an invasion of this country and confiscating the hard earned dollars of US workers to finance that invasion. 

We can fix it -

lenny

** WHAT RESPONSE TO THE “RECONQUISTA” PLOT BY THE TERRORIST GROUP “LA RAZA” CAN WE RESONABLY EXPECT FROM “HOMELAND SECURITY” ???

ladytexan

I’m thinking we already see what response we are going to get.

They are going to do ‘made for TV raids’ and then turn them loose -  pretend all illegals here are just ‘hardworking people looking for a better life’.

They are going to be sure no one does anything to impede their agenda – the La Raza agenda.

The government is going to give money to LaRaza.

Peter E.Poss

Congratulation to ICE for doing their job.  Makes me sick to think that they let most of them go because of family obligations.
They all need to be deported – families and all if neccessary, and the border sealed to stop the influx of aliens into our country. 
We need some spine – get the border closed with what ever it takes – NOW.

Ozark_Sunshine

Go get their families and send them back with them.  Simple solution.

pat richardson

If they Judge orders them deported, why
isn’ a bus waiting to take them back to
Mexico?  The courts are way too lenient
on illegal aliens.

ladytexan

Could it be collusion between ICE and the courts.  ICE gets great headlines, but doesn’t disrupt the employers’ business more than a day or two?

Doc

Big deal – out of 573,000 they caught 900. Somebody isn’t looking very hard… If they want to catch them it isn’t that hard.

ladytexan

They don’t want to catch them.  The illegals know that the entire government is protecting them and that little to nothing is really going to be done.