A Mexican national convicted of the attempted murder of a peace officer was among 112 foreign nationals arrested in the Los Angeles area during a federal operation targeting “at-large criminal aliens,” officials said today.
The four-day operation, which ended Wednesday night, was conducted by personnel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
All of the 100 men and 12 women taken into custody had criminal histories, and 62 of them had prior felony convictions for serious or violent offenses, such as child sex crimes, weapons charges, and assault, ICE reported.
“The remaining arrestees had past convictions for significant or multiple misdemeanors,” an ICE statement said. “One of those taken into custody is a previously deported criminal alien who will now be presented for federal prosecution for re-entry after removal, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison.”
The remaining arrestees will be processed administratively for removal from the United States.
Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country, and the rest are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future, ICE reported.
Among those arrested during this week’s operation were:
— a 64-year-old Mexican man arrested in unincorporated Riverside County near Hemet July 17 who has a 1996 conviction for attempted murder of a peace officer;
— a 46-year-old male from Tonga arrested July 17 in Rancho Cucamonga who has prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon;
— a 37-year-old Salvadoran gang member arrested in Los Angeles July 18 who has a lengthy rap sheet, including previous convictions for burglary, attempted burglary, receiving stolen property and DUI; and
— a 45-year-old Mexican man arrested July 19 in Los Angeles who was previously convicted of assault to commit rape and failure to register as a sex offender.
While the largest number of those taken into custody during the enforcement action are originally from Mexico (89), 11 countries are represented, including El Salvador (7); Guatemala (5); Belize (2); Honduras (2); Vietnam (2); Egypt (1); Philippines (1); Tonga (1); the United Kingdom (1); and Azerbaijan (1).
Of the six Southland counties and more than 50 communities where arrests occurred, Los Angeles County accounted for the largest number of apprehensions (56); followed by San Bernardino County (16); Orange County (13); Riverside County (12); Ventura County (11); and Santa Barbara County (4).
