Federal immigration authorities in Florida last week apprehended more than a dozen illegal migrants who were convicted or charged of crimes while in a program that allowed them to live freely in the U.S. despite crossing the border illegally.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 18 illegal migrants in a week-long raid referred to as “Operation Drumbeat,” according to a press release from the agency. The operation, which was done in conjunction with Border Patrol agents, apprehended noncitizens charged or convicted of a slate of heinous crimes, such as child abuse, extortion, assault, burglary and other offenses. (RELATED: America’s Border Crisis Could Get A Whole Lot Worse Under Kamala Harris, Experts Say)
“ERO is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that protects citizens throughout Florida by arresting and removing those who undermine our immigration laws and pose a safety threat to our communities,” ERO Miami Field Office Director Garrett Ripa said about the operation.
“The [Alternatives to Detention] program is a privilege, and when noncitizens violate the conditions of their release by breaking other laws, there are consequences,” Ripa continued.
NEW YORK – MAY 11: Special agents working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) escort members of a Mexican gang to court following their arrests May 11, 2005 in New York City. The gang members from the Mexican Mafia are illegal residents and will be deported by officials. ICE officers are part of the federal government’s Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)
Among those are arrested were a 34-year-old Honduran national convicted of assault, burglary and criminal mischief; a 46-year-old Chinese national convicted of conspiracy, RICO violations and a weapons offense; a 31-year-old Guatemalan national arrested for battery and child abuse; according to ICE. All the noncitizens targeted in the operation are currently in the agency’s custody.
“Operation Drumbeat targeted those noncitizens that were afforded the opportunity to partake in [Alternatives to Detention] but violated the conditions of the program by committing criminal offenses or were deemed a threat to public safety based on their criminal convictions,” the press release stated.
Plagued by ICE detention centers near or over capacity, federal immigration authorities have widely embraced the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which allows asylum seekers to avoid physical detention and live freely in the U.S. by being monitored, typically by a GPS device, phone application or other tracking devices.
While the program has provided relief to detention centers, it hasn’t come without some controversy.
A February 2023 DCNF investigation found the Biden administration had increased its reliance on a phone application that only tracked the location of illegal migrants at specific times, in lieu of relying on GPS monitoring, which can track them most or even all of the time. A number of high-profile alleged criminal aliens were on Alternatives to Detention, such as suspected terrorist Mohammad Kharwin, the suspected killers of Jocelyn Nungaray and the mother who tried to hire a hitman to protect her killer son.
A group of House Republicans sent a letter to ICE Executive Associate Daniel Bible in May, accusing the agency of failing to properly track migrants enrolled in the program.
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