A total of 49 foreign nationals were arrested over the last seven days in the Philadelphia Metropolitan region during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aimed at criminal aliens, immigration fugitives, re-entrants, and other immigration violators, which ended Sunday.
- 17 of those arrested had criminal convictions.
- 14 of those arrested have pending criminal charges.
- 6 had been previously removed from the United States and subsequently illegally re-entered.
- 14 were immigration fugitives with outstanding final orders of removal issued by a federal immigration judge.
- 14 of those arrested were previously released from Philadelphia County custody, despite having an ICE detainer lodged against them.
“This operation resulted in multiple arrests of criminal aliens, public safety threats, and individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws,” said ERO Philadelphia Acting Field Office Director Gregory Brawley. “Some of these dangerous individuals had been released to the streets instead of being turned over to ICE on our detainers, which compromises the safety of the homeland that ICE officers strive to protect every day. ICE will continue conducting operations to execute its mission and bring to justice those subjects who jeopardize the sanctity of our immigration laws and the safety of our citizens.”