Credit: ICE
Law enforcement sources confirmed to LevittownNow.com that several foreign nationals were arrested in Bucks County over the past few weeks.
The arrests were some of the 248 from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that have been made through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware over the last two weeks.
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While sources who talked with this news organization weren’t aware of the exact locations of the arrests, NBC 10 reported several of those taken into custody were in the Levittown area.
Requests for specifics on the arrests were made to ICE officials in Washington D.C. and the Philadelphia Field Office but were not returned Thursday or Friday.
ICE officials broke down the 248 arrests:
- 120 had a conviction and/or pending charges or 48 percent (88 of those arrested had criminal convictions and 32 of those arrested have pending criminal charges)
- In addition, 50 had been previously removed from the United States and subsequently illegally re-entered.
- Six have been accepted for prosecution by the United States Attorneys’ Offices for charges including re-entry after removal and document fraud
- 18 were immigration fugitives with outstanding final orders of removal issued by a federal immigration judge
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“These regional operations may result in arrests of individuals other than those initially targeted. Many of these individuals were criminals, who had illegally re-entered the United States, which is a crime under federal law. One of the most egregious individuals encountered during this operation that had not initially been targeted had been deported from the United States on two prior occasions and had a conviction for sexual abuse of a minor,” Philadelphia Acting Field Office Director Jennifer Ritchey said in a statement.
Credit: ICE
“Those not being criminally prosecuted will be processed for removal from the United States. Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to removal from the country,” the statement from ICE said.
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Steeping up enforcement of immigration laws was a keystone of President Donald Trump’s campaign last year. As president, he plans to beef border security by building a wall that will cost billions and increase the amount of law enforcement tasked with immigration enforcement.
Ritchey noted that Philadelphia officials failed to honor detainers issued by the federal government and released some foreign nationals who were wanted from customs. She said the move from the city “puts the public at unnecessary risk.”
ICE officials said the raids were part of their routine targeted operations, similar to those that have occurred under previous presidential administrations.
