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Agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) and other federal enforcement authorities arrested 81 illegal aliens in just five days as part of an enhanced targeted enforcement effort titled "Operation Take Back America" in Kentucky.
As President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration continues, ICE announced the arrests in a statement Tuesday, which said that 25 of those arrested are charged with criminal offenses. Among those with criminal charges was an illegal alien who had previously been deported, excluded, removed or denied admission seven times.
The agency said those not criminally charged will continue to be held by ICE pending removal proceedings.
Offenses include sexual misconduct with a minor, drug trafficking and domestic violence. The statement said the migrants arrested were present in the country illegally and came from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba, India and Palau.
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The Department of Homeland Security also made an announcement in which it said the arrests were part of Operation Take Back America, which, according to the department, involves "multiple federal law enforcement agencies in Kentucky" working together to "repel the invasion of illegal immigration throughout the Commonwealth."
The department said that Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that streamlines efforts and resources within DHS to not only crack down on illegal immigration but also "achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."
The operation was coordinated out of Louisville.
Michael Bennett, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, praised the operation, saying it impacts not just Kentucky but the entire country.
"I commend the work of our federal law enforcement partners, prosecutors, and support personnel who worked tirelessly to make this operation a success," said Bennett. "The aggressive investigation and prosecution of those who violate immigration laws positively impacts the security of our communities and of the Nation."
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According to DHS, several of those arrested had illegally re-entered the country once or several times after being deported.
One of those aliens – a 54-year-old Mexican national named Humberto Avila-Duran – was arrested in Jefferson County, Kentucky, around Mar. 14 for possessing a firearm illegally. He was found to have been denied admission, excluded, deported and removed from the United States on or about Jan. 21, 2011, Mar. 3, 2011, Mar. 8, 2011, Aug. 14, 2012, May 9, 2014, May 13, 2014, and Nov. 13, 2020.
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Another migrant arrested, Edi Diaz-Lopez, 30, a citizen of Mexico, was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. If convicted, Diaz-Lopez faces up to 40 years in prison.
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Another migrant arrested was a 44-year-old Indian national convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor, intimidation and battery.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago Field Office Director Sam Olson also commented on the arrests, saying, "We are committed, as a united group, to removing individuals from our communities who pose a threat to public safety and national security."
"Public safety relies on the expertise of ICE officers who are able to coordinate across federal agencies to accomplish these arrests," he said. "Operations that lead to the arrest and detention of alien offenders can be complex and may, at times, prove to be challenging. Our agency is more than capable to meet those challenges. I’m grateful for all our federal partners here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky."
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