Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 19 criminal aliens from Mexico and Central America living in a couple of the northern-most counties in the U.S. last week.
During a four-day operation, ICE arrested 18 men and one woman in Washington’s Skagit and Whatcom counties. Of those apprehended, 17 are from Mexico, one is from Guatemala, and one is from El Salvador.
In keeping with the Obama Administration’s immigration “priorities” — which focuses immigration enforcement against only those illegal immigrants who have committed heinous enough crimes and recent border crossers — those arrested in the four-day sweep all had prior convictions.
According to ICE, several had prior felony convictions, others had multiple or “significant” misdemeanor convictions, and one was a previously deported criminal alien.
Among those arrested, ICE said, were:
-A 61-year-old Mexican male who has a conviction for delivery and manufacture of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm;
-A 45-year-old Mexican female with four separate convictions for assault domestic violence;
-A 54-year-old Mexican male, whose rap sheet includes multiple drug convictions and multiple convictions for driving under the influence.
“This operation illustrates ICE’s ongoing dedication to targeting convicted criminals and other public safety threats for arrest and removal,” Bryan Wilcox, deputy field office director for ERO Seattle, said in a statement. “By taking these individuals off our streets and ultimately removing them from the country, we’re making our communities safer for everyone.”
While the Obama Administration touts its enforcement “priorities,” focusing on “felons, not families” deportations of criminal aliens is down nearly 60 percent compared to 2011 and overall deportations are at a ten-year low.
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