In a two-day sting operation in California, 26 individuals, including several pedophiles, have been apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Los Angeles-based Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) carried out the operation in December.
In a news statement, ERO said that a 19-year-old Salvadoran national was found guilty in Los Angeles of two felonies: battery by restraint and felony molestation of a juvenile older than 14 years old.
A Mexican national, aged 40, was found guilty of chronic felony abuse and criminal indecent actions with a minor in a Los Angeles Superior Court trial.
The Superior Court of California found a 35-year-old Guatemalan citizen guilty of felony molesting a child in an occupied house in Los Angeles.
The statement said ERO officers take each case seriously, considering all relevant factors to make well-informed arrest decisions. The United States Attorney’s office might be contacted for assistance with matters that lend themselves to federal criminal prosecution.
During the fiscal year of 2022, 46,396 illegal aliens with criminal records were apprehended by ERO. The agency claimed 198,498 charges and convictions relating to this group. Among these crimes were 21,531 assaults, 5,554 weapons violations, 8,164 rape/molestation assaults, 1,114 abduction offenses, and 1,501 homicide crimes.
According to the news release, the primary federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws inside the country is ERO, one of the three operational directorates of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Principal Areas of Focus for ERO include managing the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, repatriation of illegal aliens who have obtained final removal orders, and interior enforcement operations, all to protect the nation through the removal of individuals who compromise the security of U.S. communities and U.S. immigration laws.
With 25 domestic field offices and 208 sites around the country, 30 abroad posts, and several temporary duty travel assignments along the border, ERO employs approximately 7,700 enforcement workers.
“Sanctuary cities” sometimes prohibit or severely restrict local law enforcement’s ability to work with ICE, making it impossible for ICE agents to carry out their duties.
