BY MIKE CETERA
Good news for people who want to see illegal immigrants deported: The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says it has stepped up efforts to arrest gang members on immigration charges.
See the USA Today report here; the agency news release here; and the agency's fact sheet on its operations here.
According to the agency, officials first established its Fugitive Operations Teams in 2003 to remove illegal immigrants from the country "who have failed to depart the United States based upon a final order of removal, deportation or exclusion; or who has failed to report to a Detention and Removal Officer after receiving notice to do so."
The National Fugitive Operations Program is responsible for reducing the fugitive alien population in the United States. ICE’s databases show the targeted enforcement strategy is paying off. Earlier this year, the nation’s fugitive alien population declined for the first time. The estimated number of immigration fugitives in the United States on September 30, 2007 was just under 595,000, a one-year decrease of more than 37,000.
ICE previously has rounded up gang members in Aurora.
The most recent high-profile bust locally occurred last year. Fourteen illegal immigrant gang members were arrested in May 2006; another seven were arrested in September.
The USA Today report shows that arrests have increased this year.
Gang member arrests have increased 73% over 2006, from 2,294 people to 3,974, ICE statistics show. ICE has arrested 7,655 people from more than 700 gangs on immigration and criminal violations since the program began in 2005, ICE spokesman Michael Keegan said.
Of course, not everyone is happy. Officials in Long Island accused ICE of coming in with a "cowboy mentality."
Speaking to Newsday, attorney David Leopold, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association's task force on ICE raids, said the raids cause problems for local police.
"How on earth is local law enforcement supposed to deal with a scared citizenry?" he said. "This new policy of immigration reform by law enforcement is going to wreak havoc on our communities, wreak havoc on our economy."
We often here about how Aurora residents, particularly Hispanics, are reluctant to provide information to police. If what Leopold said is true, is deporting a few illegal immigrants worth the price of potentially leaving unsolved other crimes because witnesses are afraid to come forward?
From a US Citizens point of view: i recently was involved in a car accident, where the motorist who hit me was a illegal immigrant. Who also used a false residents card, had no valid drivers license, and NO INSURANCE! Since then, i am off of work because of the injures i substaind from the accident. My car is un repairable, and still i don't know who the illegal immigrant responsible for all of this is!
For the past 20 years that i have had AUTO insurance and a valid drivers license,I LOSE!
When are us US CITIZENS EVER going to WIN?????
SO there are more than just illegal immigrant gang members ruining the lives of us american born and raised citzens!
DEPORT THEM ALL!!!!! its not fair to us Aurorans who have lived here ALL of our lives to have to deal with lying immagrants!
Sincerly~ Ms. Liberty
Ms. Liberty,
Your incident sounds awful but the word is irreparable. "Un" by itself is not a word. It sounds more as if your post is from an "Ignorant US Citizen's point of view" (yes, it's a singular possessive).