More than 1,030 criminal illegal immigrants have been arrested under the Laken Riley Act as part of Operation Angel’s Honor, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement on Dec. 22.The Act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to arrest any foreign national charged with crimes such as theft, burglary, assault, or those resulting in serious bodily injury or death, even if the individual was granted bail from state detention by a court.
According to ICE, among the criminals arrested as part of the operation are a 37-year-old Peruvian illegal immigrant with a criminal history of rape and assault, a 24-year-old illegal Nicaraguan who was previously arrested for assaulting an officer, a 27-year-old Mexican illegal immigrant convicted for sexually exploiting a child, and a 40-year-old El Salvadoran illegal immigrant who was earlier arrested for assault and battery on a pregnant victim.
“President Trump has empowered us to arrest and remove the millions of violent criminal illegal aliens unleashed on the United States by the previous administration,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said.
“Now, these criminals will face justice and be removed from our country. We can never bring Laken back, but we can do everything in our power to bring these heinous criminals to justice.”
ICE Director Todd Lyons said that while the operation has been a “massive success,” it also serves as a reminder about the impact of immigrant crime and violence.
Despite the Laken Riley Act, sanctuary jurisdictions are refusing to turn over criminal illegal immigrants to ICE, the agency said, adding that this forces officers to risk their lives to hunt down these wanted individuals.
Multiple jurisdictions have taken steps to strengthen their sanctuary policies amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
The updated rules clarify that no city resources, including data, can be used to aid federal immigration officers. All city employees will be subjected to annual training to ensure compliance with sanctuary regulations.
Councilmember Jason Chavez, co-author of the legislation and whose parents came from Mexico, spoke against ICE operations.
“Our undocumented immigrants as a whole are being arrested, detained, deported, and not being able to come home,” he said.
Earlier this month, the state also passed the Court Access, Safety, and Participation Act into law, which blocks federal law enforcement officers from arresting people inside, on the way to, or returning from any courthouse in the state.
The department argued that these laws are illegal and attempt to regulate and threaten federal officers already facing an “unprecedented wave of harassment, doxxing, and even violence.”
In Chicago and the Midwest, Operation Midway Blitz has resulted in the arrests of more than 4,500 illegal immigrants, while in Minneapolis, more than 670 individuals have been arrested as part of Operation Metro Surge.
In Massachusetts, Operation Patriot 1.0 and 2.0 have led to more than 2,860 illegal immigrants being arrested, with more than 1,240 people arrested under Operation Black Rose in Portland, Oregon.
“Seventy percent of those arrested by ICE are criminal illegal aliens who have been charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.,” DHS said.
