More than 1,100 arrested in Calif. ICE Raids
Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently conducted a month-long immigration sweep in California which netted more than 1,100 arrests.
1,157 illegal aliens were arrested in the largest sweep of its kind. The ICE teams that roved the state specifically targeted those illegal aliens with outstanding deportation orders or criminal convictions. 595 illegal aliens with outstanding deportation orders were arrested while 346 illegal aliens with criminal convictions were apprehended. The apprehended illegal aliens were from 34 countries.
ICE's assistant field office director for San Francisco said, "This is something we do on a daily basis.... This was just a big surge to get as many boots on the ground as we could."
However, not everyone was pleased with ICE's attempts to apprehend law-breakers. Basil Robledo, director of programs for the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose was less than impressed with the raids: "It is a scary situation for folks in the community.... People keep their kids home from school. It creates less of a willingness to talk to police. They see ICE agents and they see a uniformed person, and that blends into all of law enforcement."
This extended sweep is a perfect example of ICE's enhanced vigilance over the past year. 30,407 arrests were made last year, nearly double the number from 2006. The figure for 2008 is well on its way to outpacing 2007's figures, with 26,945 arrests made as of August 1.
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