ICE detains 2,400 undocumented immigrants in nationwide sweep
The Obama Administration announced Tuesday that federal immigration agents rounded up 2,400 undocumented immigrants during a seven day nationwide sweep that occurred last month. The sweep netted arrests in every state of the union, including Florida, according to government officials. The nationwide immigration enforcement action, dubbed operation “Cross Check” reportedly was the largest operation of its kind to date.
Undocumented immigrants taken into custody during the sweep reportedly fall into three categories:
- Those who allegedly have outstanding deportation orders
- Those who allegedly have already been deported and reentered the country
- Those who have allegedly been convicted of a crime
The individuals who fall into the third category will be slated for a removal hearing in an immigration court.
Miami immigration attorneys are aware that deportation and removal proceedings can be a drawn out process. The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse issued a report last fall indicating that removal proceedings took an average of 280 days for immigration courts to process and complete the proceeding.
Several states and communities have raised issues regarding the Secure Communities program, which is used to cross reference FBI fingerprint databases with Department of Homeland Security databases to track down potential undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes. Communities have cautioned the federal government the program has impaired local law enforcement agencies’ ability to work with immigrants to solve crimes within a local community.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say the recent sweep was conducted under new guidelines under the Secure Communities program to better focus screening efforts on allegedly dangerous criminals. ICE officials say the most recent “Cross Check” operation targeted serious offenders.
Source: Fox News, “Thousands Poised to Enter Deportation Process After Mass ICE Arrest,” Judson Berger 21 Jun 2011