Authorities arrested 139 people from South Florida during a six-day nationwide enforcement operation that targeted convicted criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators.
A total of 3,100 people were arrested in total with 271 from Florida.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said one notable arrest was 35-year-old Marvin Trowers who was living in Broward County. He is a national of Jamaica and was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2005. Now, he is in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.
"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment and focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens and those that game our nation's immigration system," said ICE Director John Morton. "Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers and agents in tracking down criminal aliens and fugitives, there are 3,168 fewer criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators in our neighborhoods across the country."
The operation was the largest of its kind and involved the collaboration of more than 1,900 ICE officers and agents from all of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations' 24 field offices, assistance from ICE Homeland Security Investigations as well as coordination with our federal, state and local law enforcement.
Of those arrested, 1,477 had felony convictions including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, terrorist threats, drug trafficking, child abuse, battery on a child, sexual crimes against minors, and aggravated assault.
Of the total 2,834 criminal aliens arrested, 50 were gang members and 149 were convicted sex offenders.
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In addition to being convicted criminals, 698 of those arrested were also immigration fugitives who had previously been ordered to leave the country but failed to depart.
Additionally, 559 were illegal re-entrants who had been previously removed from the country.
Because of their serious criminal histories and prior immigration arrest records, at least 204 of those arrested during the enforcement action were presented to U.S attorneys for prosecution on a variety of charges including illegal re-entry after deportation, a felony which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
