ICE, Local Officers Arrest 62 Illegal Aliens in Florida
A five-day Federal and local law enforcement operation netted the arrests of 55 fugitive aliens and seven other illegal aliens in Lee and Collier Counties, Florida last week. The operation serves as a reminder on this first day of Operation Scheduled Departure – an ICE program designed to give fugitive aliens an opportunity to turn themselves in for deportation -- that ICE has been increasingly successful in tracking down absconders.
ICE carried out the operation in conjunction with the Lee and Collier County sheriff’s offices, who provided assistance in locating and apprehending illegal aliens with criminal histories that included aggravated assault, battery, DUI, resisting officers, burglary, drug possession, theft and weapons violations. The Naples Daily News reports the arrested aliens came from countries around the globe including Haiti, Honduras, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Peru, Mexico, Jamaica, Argentina, Bahamas and Russia.
“This operation was a successful collaboration that benefited all of Southwest Florida,” Collier County Sheriff Don Hunter said in the statement. “The Collier County Sheriff’s Office, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and ICE worked together to bring about the expeditious removal of foreign nationals who are here illegally and are committing crimes. It has already proven to have a positive impact on crime in Collier County.”