On Sept. 28, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the results of a week-long "Cross Check" operation, stating that the enforcement operation lead to the arrest of 2,901 convicted criminal aliens. According to a news release distributed by ICE on Wednesday, at least 1,282 of the arrested individuals had multiple prior criminal convictions and more than 1,600 had a prior felony conviction. Nearly 150 of the arrested aliens during Cross Check were presented to U.S. attorneys for prosecution due to their prior criminal histories.
"Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers and agents in tracking down at large criminal aliens and fugitives, there are 2,901 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods across the country," said ICE Director John Morton.
More than 1,900 ICE officers, Enforcement and Removal Operations' (ERO) agents and federal, state and local law enforcement personnel participated in the Cross Check operation, according to ICE, which occurred in every state and in four U.S. territories.
ICE first conducted a Cross Check operation in late 2009 and has continued conducting Cross Check operations in 37 states. Earlier this year, ICE conducted the first nationwide Cross Check sweep. In total, previous Cross Check operations netted more than 4,500 convicted criminals and aliens.
