“This nationwide operation led to the apprehension of more than 2,000 convicted criminal aliens who pose the greatest risk to our public safety,” Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in the statement on Monday.
“Today, communities around the country are safer because of the great work of the men and women of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Mayorkas added.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Enforcement and Removal Operation’s (ERO) carried out more than 2000 arrests in the five-day stint known as “Cross Check,” the statement said.
Additionally, out of the 2,059 criminals arrested, 58 were gang member or affiliates, while 89 were convicted sex offenders, according to the statement.
The DHS explained in the statement that all of the criminal aliens detained during Cross Check will either be processed for deportation, immediately deported or will have their be heard by an immigration judge before any further removal decisions are made.
“By taking criminals who pose public safety threats off community streets and removing them from the country, ICE addresses a significant security and public safety vulnerability,” it said.
Cross Check is the sixth operation the DHS has completed, according to the agency.
