Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cracks Down in California

A new report from The Hill documents multiple arrests carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego, California.

An Overview of the ICE Arrests

Over the past week, ICE has arrested 115 illegal immigrants who also have prior legal offenses. Those offenses include past convictions, multiple deportations, and foregoing arrests. 43% of the illegal immigrants taken into custody maintained criminal convictions. The Hill furthermore states that many of the arrested illegal immigrants came from Mexico, while others unlawfully emigrated from Peru, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Honduras, and the Czech Republic.

Despite the controversy surrounding ICE, San Diego’s ICE field officer director, Greg Archambeault notes the merits of the aforementioned arrests:

“Operations like this reflect the vital work ERO officers do every day to protect the nation, uphold public safety and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls. We will continue to conduct similar operations while seeking to ultimately deport at-large criminal targets and other immigration fugitives who pose a threat to public safety.”

Controversy Surrounding ICE and Illegal Immigration

The general consensus of ICE and illegal immigrants greatly varies depending on who is asked. Some people view ICE as inhumane and unneeded, while other view the officers as enforcers of law and order. Like many other policy issues, right-wingers and left-wingers have serious disagreements regarding the existence of illegal immigrants in the United States.