ICE announces more than 1,200 Georgia arrests
Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Friday the results of what it described as an enhanced immigration enforcement operation throughout the state of Georgia.
Dubbed ‘Operation Safe Community – Atlanta,’ the ICE action yielded 1,226 immigration arrests, according to a press release. Of those individuals accused of being in the country without authorization, 720 had been convicted or charged with crimes in the U.S., according to the agency.
“Removing these criminal alien offenders from Georgia neighborhoods makes for much safer communities, and that is exactly what the men and women of ICE work to accomplish every day across our great nation,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Acting Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said in a statement.
Although the operation was described as statewide in scope, agency spokesperson Lindsay Williams confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that arrests took place primarily across metro Atlanta. It is unclear when the operation happened.
Late last month, the AJC reported on heightened anxiety across local immigrant communities as anecdotal evidence mounted of increased ICE presence and arrests.
According to ICE’s announcement, the criminal histories of the immigrants arrested include sex crimes, crimes against children, aggravated assault, assault and battery, drug crimes, lewd and lascivious acts, burglary, weapons crimes, and driving while intoxicated.
ICE noted that five of the arrests took place at the address of a trucking company known for employing unauthorized immigrants.