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ICE arrests 27 people around West Michigan in 4 day operation

Posted at 1:42 PM, Dec 08, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-08 13:53:15-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A recent immigration enforcement operation in West Michigan placed 27 people under arrest and facing deportation.

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today that a four-day sweep this week was conducted to target “at-large aliens, illegal re-entrants and immigration violators.”  25 men and two women were arrested across West Michigan.  ICE says that 21 of the arrested individuals have prior criminal convictions in addition to their immigration status violations.

While the agency did not provide details on each individual taken into custody, they say their convictions included assault on a police officer, larceny, assault and battery, driving under the influence, domestic violence, failure to stop at the scene of an accident, indecent exposure, retail fraud and welfare fraud.

The agency said Friday that these individuals were targeted because they pose public safety threats.

“Operations like this one demonstrate ICE’s continued focus on the arrest of dangerous criminal aliens as well as those who enter the United States illegally,” said Rebecca Adducci, field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in Detroit.

Five of the individuals arrested will face federal prosecution and up to 20 years in prison.  The others will be processed for deportation.  They hail from five countries: Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.