More than 170 illegal aliens freed by various sanctuary cities were arrested by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in an operation this month, Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf announced.
Between October 3 and October 9, in what is known as Operation Rise, ICE agents arrested more than 170 illegal aliens in the sanctuary jurisdictions of Seattle, Washington, Denver, Colorado, New York City, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
All of the illegal aliens arrested by ICE had been previously freed by sanctuary policies that shield illegal aliens from arrest and deportation from the United States, often despite criminal convictions.
ICE officials said more than 80 percent of the illegal aliens arrested in the operation had either criminal convictions or pending criminal charges against them — including many convicted child sexual abusers.
In New York City, alone, almost 50 criminal illegal aliens were arrested with convictions for sexual assault, sex crime, assault, robbery, larceny, family neglect, and drunk driving.
The illegal aliens arrested include:
A 28-year-old citizen of Mexico, Oct. 8 in Charlottesville, Virginia. ICE had previously lodged three immigration detainers with the Albemarle Charlottesville Regional Jail on Romero after his arrests for felony forgery, identity theft and driving without a license, but the jail declined to honor the detainers and released him into the community. ICE previously removed him to Mexico in March 2013, and he illegally reentered the United States after his removal. He is in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico.
A 29-year-old citizen of Mexico, Oct. 9 in Longmont, Colorado. He has a March 2018 conviction for illegal reentry and October 2020 convictions for felony menacing-real/simulated weapon, child abuse and violation of bail bond conditions. He is in ICE custody pending removal to Mexico.
A 64-year-old citizen of Panama, Oct. 8 in the Bronx, New York. He has a May 2010 conviction for sexual conduct against a child in the 2nd degree in May 2010. He is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
A 61-year-old citizen of Peru, Oct. 8, in Astoria, New York. He has a February 2016 conviction for committing a criminal sex act in the 3rd degree with a victim younger than 17 years old. He is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.A 25-year-old citizen of Guatemala, Oct. 8 in Seattle. The Renton Police Department arrested Morales-Martin for commercial sex abuse of a minor in February 2019. He was released from local custody before ICE could lodge an immigration detainer. ICE previously removed him in August 2013, and he illegally reentered the United States after his removal. He is in ICE custody pending his removal to Guatemala.
“Politicians and media pundits may attempt to spin and hide the truth, but the fact remains: Sanctuary City policies shield violent criminal aliens at the expense of American lives,” Wolf said during a press conference. “There’s simply no way around it.”
“We are not asking for local authorities to enforce immigration laws. That’s our job,” Wolf continued. “What we’re asking local authorities to do is to simply pick up the phone and call your fellow federal law enforcement partner to allow us to do the job Congress has mandated that we do.”
The latest ICE sting was part of the second phase of Operation Rise, which started September 18, when more than 125 criminal illegal aliens were arrested in various sanctuary jurisdictions. Also part of the operation are billboards posted in Philadelphia depicting the danger of sanctuary policies.
“These billboards are important because we can no longer stand idly by while the public is being misled about the role ICE plays in keeping the public safe,” Wolf said. “This campaign would be entirely unnecessary if local leaders would do their jobs and protect their communities by partnering with federal law enforcement.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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