A nationwide raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resulted in the arrest of 175 undocumented immigrants who the agency said had been charged multiple times with drunk or drugged driving.
The operation lasted nearly a month, from August 20 to September 30, ICE reported Wednesday.
This is one of the largest raids against undocumented immigrants in the United States since Joe Biden took office in 2020.
Among those arrested, the agency highlighted the case of a 45-year-old Mexican immigrant convicted of hitting at least one person in Banning, California, and fleeing.
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In addition to convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the criminal histories of those arrested include, among others, crimes of assault, cruelty to children, violation of weapons laws, domestic violence, fraud, manslaughter with vehicles, hit and run and escape, and theft, according to the agency.
"More than 11,000 people in the United States died as a result of
crashes involving a drunk driver
in 2020," said Corey A. Price, associate executive director of the ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations), the arm of ICE to enforce deportations.
"A law enforcement operation focused on individuals who have been previously convicted of DUI (the crime of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs), some causing death or serious bodily harm, is of vital importance to public safety." Price said.
Some of those detained will face federal court proceedings before they are deported, according to ICE.
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The agency said it made 74,082 migrant apprehensions during fiscal year 2021, which included 12,025 individuals with felony convictions.
Meanwhile, crimes associated with noncitizens apprehended in fiscal year 2021 included 1,506 homicide-related crimes, 3,415 sexual assaults, 19,549 assaults, 2,717 robberies, and 1,063 kidnappings.
Under the Trump administration, deportation criteria and priorities were so broad that ICE had the green light to execute as many as it deemed necessary.
When Joe Biden took office he did so with a promise to focus on deportations
based on criminal records.
In September 2021, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, issued new guidelines on the people ICE should prioritize for deportation: those considered to be a threat to national security or public safety.
However, the states of Louisiana and Texas filed suit against those guidelines, and ICE is not operating under them.
The Biden government appealed to the Supreme Court and a final decision is expected before the end of 2022.