Illegal Immigrant Raid Nets Nearly 250, Say Feds

Almost 250 criminal illegal immigrants, including those with sex crime charges and possession of drug convictions, were arrested by federal immigration agents in a multi-state raid.

Some 248 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, along with many who had re-entered the country illegally after already being deported, were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in cities in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware.

In total, 120 of the criminal illegal immigrants arrested had convictions or pending charges against them; 50 had already been deported back to their native countries out of the U.S.; 18 were “immigration fugitives” who had final deportation orders by an immigration judge; and six were facing federal charges for re-entering the U.S. and document fraud.

According to an ICE news release, the arrests included:

• The arrest of a 34-year-old male citizen of Guatemala with criminal convictions for sexual abuse of a minor. The man has been removed from the United States on two prior occasions. The man has been detained without bond and has been referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for criminal prosecution. He’s currently in ICE custody at York County Prison.
• The arrest of a 52-year-old male citizen of Lithuania, with three criminal convictions for driving under the influence. Philadelphia Police Department arrested him on his fourth Feb. 23, 2017. The man was released from Philadelphia Police custody on Feb. 23, 2017, when a detainer lodged with Philadelphia authorities was not honored. The subject is being detained without bond pending immigration proceedings. He’s currently in ICE custody at York County Prison.
• The arrest of a 65-year-old male citizen of Vietnam, with criminal convictions of three counts of manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver marijuana, four counts of conspiracy, two counts of theft of services, and one count of intentional possession of a controlled substance by person not regulated. The arrest resulted in the seizure of over 1100 marijuana plants that were located in a vehicle and a residence owned by the subject. On May 13, 2016, Berks County Court of Common Pleas convicted him of felony charges, which include: one count of manufacture, delivery, or possession with intent to manufacture or deliver marijuana, one count of conspiracy, and one count of theft of services. He is being held without bond pending removal proceedings. He’s currently in ICE custody at the San Antonio Field Office.

The ICE operation also included arresting criminal illegal immigrants who had been previously let free from custody by sanctuary city Philadelphia.

“In the Philadelphia area, ICE arrested several at large criminal aliens in which the agency had issued detainers but the City of Philadelphia failed to honor them and released the individuals from custody — a situation that puts the public at unnecessary risk,” Philadelphia Acting Field Director for deportations, Jennifer Ritchey said. “ICE will continue to conduct targeted enforcement operations, whether local jurisdictions intend to cooperate with ICE or not.”

Ritchey said the raid was “just a small example” of what ICE is doing everyday under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly.

John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.