Nationwide sting against illegal immigrants yields over 3,100 arrests

Newscast Media HOUSTON, Texas—Over 70 illegal immigrants were arrested in Houston by U.S. federal agents as part of a six-day nationwide sting that netted more than 3,100 arrests, according to immigration officials.

With more than 1,800 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, along with officials from federal, state and local law enforcement organizations, participating, the six-day "Cross Check" operation, was the largest of its kind, according to ICE.

Approximately 90 percent of those arrested were with criminal records for offenses including murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking, authorities said.

In addition to the illegals arrested in the Houston area, authorities also arrested 11 in Beaumont and nine in College Station, according to the daily Houston Chronicle.

Meanwhile, CBS-Miaimi reported that of the arrests that were made in all 50 states during the anti-illegal immigrant sweep, 270 people were arrested in Florida.

"This is not somebody that we want to leave on the streets of our communities and our neighborhoods. We target those individuals and arrest those individuals and now we'll remove them," said ICE Field Office Director Marc Moore.

New Jersey saw 123 arrests, with 107 of those arrested being convicted felons. In California of the 206 individuals taken into custody in the Los Angeles area, 106 had prior convictions for serious or violent crimes including manslaughter, drug possession and arson.

"Our focus for this operation was public safety, that's why we're going after the criminals," said John Tsoukaris, an ICE official. Add Comments>>

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