By Stephen Magagnini
smagagnini@sacbee.com
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency today announced the arrest of more than 2,900 people alleged to be convicted criminal aliens, including more than 186 in the Bay Area and Northern California.
The week-long raids across the country reflect ICE's continued focus "on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens that threaten the public safety of our communities here in Northern California," said Timothy Aitken, field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in San Francisco.
Most of the Northern California arrests took place in Santa Clara County, where 35 people were arrested; 23 in Alameda County; and 21 in Fresno County. The rest occurred in Contra Costa, Kern, Madera, Marin, Monterey, Sacramento, San Mateo, Sonoma, Tulare, Santa Cruz and San Joaquin, Butte, Lake, Madera, Mendocino, Napa, Placer, Solano, Stanislaus and Sutter counties.
Those arrested in Northern California, included 126 who had prior convictions for serious felonies, including aggravated assault, child abuse and drug trafficking.
Officers also arrested five documented gang members and 32 immigration fugitives. Because of their serious criminal histories and prior immigration arrest records, at least 11 of those arrested during the enforcement action face possible prosecution by the federal government on a variety of charges including illegal re-entry after deportation, a felony which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
A 52-year old Mexican national was arrested by Sacramento's fugitive operations team in Stockton. In addition to having a prior criminal conviction for voluntary manslaughter and assault with a deadly weapon, the man faces federal prosecution for illegal re-entry after deportation.
ICE said it's focused on immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the public, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security.
ICE also prioritizes the arrest and removal of those who game the immigration system, including immigration fugitives or those criminal immigrants who have been previously deported and illegally re-entered the U.S.
PHOTO CAPTION: From left; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton; Gary Mead, executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations; ICE Deputy Director Kumar Kibble and James Dinkins, executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), take part in a news conference to announce results of ICE-led enforcement targeting at-large criminal aliens.
PHOTO CREDIT: Manuel Balce Ceneta, AP
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