More than 100 immigrants with criminal convictions were arrested during a four-day sweep in Southern California, federal officials announced last 21 July.
The operation spanned Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and targeted 112 immigrants who had been released after serving previous sentences — but who could not be held for deportation under state law.
The arrested were immigrants who were involved in gang activity or had three or more misdemeanor convictions or a conviction for a "significant" misdemeanor such as a DUI. Some of those arrested this were in the country legally, officials said.
Though everyone who was arrested is subject to deportation under federal law for their previous crimes, most were released back into the country after serving their past sentence because of a state law that took effect in January 2014, said David Marin, deputy field office director for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s office in Southern California.
The so-called Trust Act bars local law enforcement from detaining defendants with most minor convictions past their release dates in order to hand them over to ICE, but it allows jurisdictions to turn over people with past felony convictions.
But some cities, like San Francisco, where Kathryn Steinle was fatally shot by an immigrant with a criminal record who was in the country illegally, do not take that step. Other jurisdictions notify ICE when a convict is going to be released, but do not hold them until agents are there to pick them up.
"Hopefully we get there in time," Marin said.
Among those arrested this week was Carlos David Martin Ojeda, 46, a sex offender convicted of attempted lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old.
The operation spanned Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties and targeted 112 immigrants who had been released after serving previous sentences — but who could not be held for deportation under state law.
The arrested were immigrants who were involved in gang activity or had three or more misdemeanor convictions or a conviction for a "significant" misdemeanor such as a DUI. Some of those arrested this were in the country legally, officials said.
Though everyone who was arrested is subject to deportation under federal law for their previous crimes, most were released back into the country after serving their past sentence because of a state law that took effect in January 2014, said David Marin, deputy field office director for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s office in Southern California.
The so-called Trust Act bars local law enforcement from detaining defendants with most minor convictions past their release dates in order to hand them over to ICE, but it allows jurisdictions to turn over people with past felony convictions.
But some cities, like San Francisco, where Kathryn Steinle was fatally shot by an immigrant with a criminal record who was in the country illegally, do not take that step. Other jurisdictions notify ICE when a convict is going to be released, but do not hold them until agents are there to pick them up.
"Hopefully we get there in time," Marin said.
Among those arrested this week was Carlos David Martin Ojeda, 46, a sex offender convicted of attempted lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old.