ICE REPORTEDLY arrests 225 in NY immigration raids, many with criminal records

Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have arrested 225 illegal immigrants in New York state as part of a six-day operation “Operation Keep Safe.”

The detainees, from numerous countries, were taken into custody in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, according to a news release published Tuesday.

New York has long been considered a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants as local politicians created initiatives that hinder the cooperation with federal authorities. Oleg Chernyavsky, a top New York City police official, said in February that more than 1,500 requests from ICE to detain illegal immigrants for up to 48 hours were ignored last year.

ICE officials said that more than 180 of those detained were convicted criminals or had criminal charges pending and more than 80 of them had been issued a final order of removal and failed to leave the U.S. voluntarily -- or had been previously removed from the U.S., but illegally returned.

Several detainees had prior felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, including child sex crimes, weapons charges and assault, or had past convictions for significant or multiple misdemeanors.

Some of the arrested will now face federal criminal prosecution for illegal entry into the U.S. or illegal re-entry after their initial deportation. Others will be processed administratively for removal from the country. Those who already have outstanding orders of deportation will be immediately deported to their home country.




Federal immigration officials celebrated the deportation operation, but criticized local politicians for creating sanctuary city policies that hinder the effectiveness of immigration control and allow dangerous illegal immigrants “prey on the people in their communities.

"ICE continues to face significant obstacles with policies created by local officials which hinder cooperation between ICE and local law enforcement. Yet, with the tireless efforts of the men and women of ICE, this operation was a great success," said Thomas R. Decker, field office director for ERO New York.

He added: "The fact is that a so-called ‘sanctuary city’ does not only provide refuge to those who are here against immigration law, but also provides protections for criminal aliens who prey on the people in their own communities by committing crimes at all levels.”

ICE arrests 150 people around Bay Area as a result of Democratic mayor's warning

Federal immigration officials have arrested more than 150 individuals in violation of federal U.S. immigration law in Northern California this week despite the Oakland mayor warning of an impending raid.

U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made the arrests in the San Francisco Bay Area starting Sunday as part of “targeted immigration enforcement operations,” the agency said on Tuesday.

Roughly half of those arrested by deportation officers have convictions for assault and battery, crimes against children, weapons charges and DUI, according to the agency.

ICE highlighted the arrest of one fugitive of the federal agency in particular, who officials stated is a documented gang member.


Armando Nuñez-Salgado, 38, of Mexico, was arrested Sunday as part of ICE’s widespread raid, spokesperson James Schwab, of the San Francisco bureau, told IPRESSTV.

“Over the past 18 years [Nuñez-Salgado] has accumulated criminal convictions in California that have resulted in more than 15 years of prison sentencings,” Schwab said, adding the man “has been previously removed by ICE on four prior occasions” and is a member of the Sureño street gang.

Other arrests include that of another Sureños gang member and other illegal immigrants with criminal convictions from Mexico and Guatemala throughout Northern California.

The arrests come in the days after Libby Schaaf, the Democratic mayor of Oakland, posted a press release to Twitter warning constituents in the sanctuary city that “multiple credible sources” told her ICE would be conducting a raid in the Bay Area as soon as Sunday.

Schaaf received swift backlash following her post, with many arguing over the legality of such a warning.

"The Oakland mayor’s decision to publicize her suspicions about ICE operations further increased that risk for my officers and alerted criminal aliens — making clear that this reckless decision was based on her political agenda,” ICE Deputy Director Thomas Homan said in a statement Tuesday. “Unlike the politicians who attempt to undermine ICE’s critical mission, our officers will continue to fulfill their sworn duty to protect public safety.”

However, the mayor stood by her decision, saying she felt as though it was her "duty" to share the information. ICE officials told IPRESSTV  they're asking the Department of Justice to look into whether Schaaf broke any laws by giving the warning.

Further details of ICE's immediate activities in the Bay Area remain unclear, although the agency says 864 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions and other public safety threats "remain at large" in the area — two of whom are believed to be living in Oakland.

Homan believes Schaaf's warning aided those illegal immigrants in eluding law enforcement.

ICE Recent raid Targets 77 businesses in Northern California

Less than a month after federal immigration officials raided nearly 100 7-Eleven stores nationwide, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents conducted another sweep this week in Northern California, officials said Thursday.

This time, ICE agents searched 77 businesses in the San Francisco and Sacramento areas in what was believed to be the largest localized raid since President Donald Trump took office, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The raid underscores ICE acting director Thomas Homan’s call for a “400 percent increase” in agency operations focusing on workplaces, the paper reported.



Unlike the 7-Eleven raids in January, which resulted in 21 arrests, ICE didn’t identify the businesses it this week, nor did the agency make any immediate arrests, the paper reported.

However, federal immigration officials issued notices of inspection, and ordered the businesses to provide proof their employees are legally allowed to work in the U.S. -- giving them three days to comply, the paper reported.

Democratic lawmakers and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra had been on edge since a report in the Chronicle last month that federal officials were planning such a raid.

"We will, as always, work with our federal partners in every respect to go after drug dealers, human traffickers, potential terrorists," Becerra said in January. "We're not in the business of deportation. We're in the business of public safety."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.