ICE Apprehends 21 Criminal Aliens, Fugitives and Other Immigration Violators
Arizona Free Press
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Arrests result from 2-day initiative called "Operation Return to Sender"
DALLAS - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that ICE agents and officers apprehended 21 criminal aliens, fugitive aliens, and other immigration status violators as part of a two-day north Texas interior immigration enforcement operation that ended on November 3, 2006.
Known as Operation Return to Sender, the initiative began Thursday and is a continuation of an ongoing nationwide operation that was first executed in June during which 2,179 aliens were arrested. ICE officers in Dallas executed this operation with the assistance of local law enforcement agencies. The following agencies provided substantial assistance in this operation: Dallas County Constables Office, Precinct 4; the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
ICE began the operation Nov. 2 in Irving, Richardson and Arlington, Texas, and made 16 arrests that day. ICE officers continued the operation in Mount Pleasant, Dallas, Irving, Garland, Tyler and Jacksonville, Texas, and made five additional arrests. Those arrested ranged in age from 5 to 55 years old; nine of those arrested were women.
The targeted aliens in this operation failed to comply with the federal immigration judges orders to depart from the United States, said Nuria Prendes, who heads ICEs Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Dallas. Our job in ICE is to find these fugitives and deport them. Taking criminal and fugitive aliens off of our streets is a top ICE priority. Prendes heads an area which includes north Texas and the State of Oklahoma.
Those arrested in this north Texas interior immigration enforcement operation came from Jordan, Kuwait and Somalia.
Following are four of the aliens who were arrested in this weeks north Texas immigration enforcement operation:
Photo of Aziza Ahmed Mohamed Aziza Ahmed Mohamed, 40, from Somalia, was arrested Nov. 3 on an outstanding order for deportation. Mohamed was convicted for multiple theft charges, including a conviction for felony theft.
Photo of Ahmed Hazahza Ahmed Hazahza, 18, Palestinian, born in Jordan, was arrested in Irving, Texas on Nov. 02 on an outstanding order for deportation. Hazahza was convicted as an adult for three burglaries for which he received a 10-year probated sentence.
* Salaheddin Ibrahim, 36, from Jordan, was arrested Nov. 2 on an outstanding order for deportation; he illegally possessed a firearm at the time of arrest. The firearm was presented to ATF agents for processing and prosecution on charges of an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
* Bilal Ibraheem Omary, 33, from Jordan, was arrested Nov. 3 on an outstanding order for deportation. A case is now pending to prosecute him in the Eastern District of Texas for immigration fraud and re-entry after deportation. A criminal investigation is currently initiated based on facts that were received after the initial arrest.
The juveniles encountered are staying with other family members, or are being housed with at least one parent at the Hutto family detention facility in Taylor, Texas. All other aliens arrested were interviewed, fingerprinted, and detained at the Rolling Plains Detention Facility in Haskell, Texas.
The criminal aliens arrested are being processed for deportation. Re-entering the United States after having been deported is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. ICE works closely with U.S. Attorneys Offices to present for prosecution those aliens who violate U.S. immigration laws.
These arrests are the latest enforcement actions under the interior immigration enforcement strategy that was announced April 20 by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Assistant Secretary Julie Myers. A critical element of this interior enforcement strategy is to identify and remove criminal aliens, fugitives, and other immigration violators from the United States.
The interior enforcement strategy is part of the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), which is the Department of Homeland Securitys comprehensive, multi-year plan to secure Americas borders and reduce illegal migration. SBIs border security efforts are focused on gaining operational control of the nations borders through additional personnel and technology, while re-engineering the detention and removal system to ensure that illegal aliens are removed from the country quickly.
The interior enforcement strategy complements the Departments border security efforts by expanding existing efforts to target immigration violators inside this country, employers of illegal aliens, as well as the many criminal networks that support these activities. The primary objectives are to reverse the tolerance of illegal employment and illegal immigration in the United States.
Photo of Aziza Ahmed Mohamed Aziza Ahmed Mohamed, 40, from Somalia, was arrested Nov. 3 on an outstanding order for deportation. Mohamed was convicted for multiple theft charges, including a conviction for felony theft.
Photo of Ahmed Hazahza Ahmed Hazahza, 18, Palestinian, born in Jordan, was arrested in Irving, Texas on Nov. 02 on an outstanding order for deportation. Hazahza was convicted as an adult for three burglaries for which he received a 10-year probated sentence.
* Salaheddin Ibrahim, 36, from Jordan, was arrested Nov. 2 on an outstanding order for deportation; he illegally possessed a firearm at the time of arrest. The firearm was presented to ATF agents for processing and prosecution on charges of an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.
* Bilal Ibraheem Omary, 33, from Jordan, was arrested Nov. 3 on an outstanding order for deportation. A case is now pending to prosecute him in the Eastern District of Texas for immigration fraud and re-entry after deportation. A criminal investigation is currently initiated based on facts that were received after the initial arrest.
The juveniles encountered are staying with other family members, or are being housed with at least one parent at the Hutto family detention facility in Taylor, Texas. All other aliens arrested were interviewed, fingerprinted, and detained at the Rolling Plains Detention Facility in Haskell, Texas.
The criminal aliens arrested are being processed for deportation. Re-entering the United States after having been deported is a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison. ICE works closely with U.S. Attorneys Offices to present for prosecution those aliens who violate U.S. immigration laws.
These arrests are the latest enforcement actions under the interior immigration enforcement strategy that was announced April 20 by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Assistant Secretary Julie Myers. A critical element of this interior enforcement strategy is to identify and remove criminal aliens, fugitives, and other immigration violators from the United States.
The interior enforcement strategy is part of the Secure Border Initiative (SBI), which is the Department of Homeland Securitys comprehensive, multi-year plan to secure Americas borders and reduce illegal migration. SBIs border security efforts are focused on gaining operational control of the nations borders through additional personnel and technology, while re-engineering the detention and removal system to ensure that illegal aliens are removed from the country quickly.
The interior enforcement strategy complements the Departments border security efforts by expanding existing efforts to target immigration violators inside this country, employers of illegal aliens, as well as the many criminal networks that support these activities. The primary objectives are to reverse the tolerance of illegal employment and illegal immigration in the United States.