An operation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) ended with
the detention of more than 170 migrants
in six cities considered sanctuary, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
During the week of October 3-9, ICE officers carried out raids in Seattle, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington DC, where an unspecified number of migrants were detained, but that exceeded 170, according to the notice.
More than 80% of them had previous or pending criminal charges, according to ICE.
Federal agency officials had told The Washington Post a few weeks ago that operations were planned in cities and jurisdictions that have adopted sanctuary policies in favor of undocumented migrants, and where local or state police do not provide assistance to the immigration service to make the arrests.
"ICE focuses its resources on those who pose the greatest threat to public safety," said Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad F. Wolf.
"The Department will continue to take law enforcement actions to keep our communities safe, regardless of whether or not we have the cooperation of state and local officials," he added.
ICE detains more than 2,000 immigrants during a national operation between July and August
Sept.
2, 202000: 31
The arrests are recorded weeks before the November 3 elections, in which the president, Donald Trump, will seek to remain in the White House facing the Democratic candidate Joe Biden.
Trump has campaigned for a
strong hand against undocumented immigrants,
and two officials quoted by The Washington Post described this effort more as a political message at election time.
In the statement published on the ICE website, five Latinos detained in the operations are identified:
two Mexicans, a Panamanian, a Peruvian and a Guatemalan
.
All are in custody of the service before their removal process is completed.
These arrests are in addition to 128 arrests made by ICE in California, also a sanctuary jurisdiction, in the week of September 28 to October 2.
ICE has not stopped detaining migrants during the coronavirus pandemic and the new effort would continue in the same vein, according to the two cited officials.
It was announced earlier this month that ICE had carried out national operations in the summer that had resulted in the detention of more than 2,000 migrants between July and August.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 health crisis, ICE suspended its operations in hospitals, clinics and medical offices.
Trump to send elite Border Patrol forces to 'sanctuary cities'
Feb. 14, 202001: 44
