ICE Agents Arrest 345 People In Five-County Operation (KNBC - Los Angeles)

ICE Agents Arrest 345 People In Five-County Operation
POSTED: 11:24 am PST February 29, 2008

LOS ANGELES -- A week-long federal law enforcement operation targeting immigration fugitives, criminals and violators netted 345 arrests in five Southland counties, customs officials announced Friday.
During the operation, which concluded Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 194 people in Los Angeles County, 43 in Orange County, 68 in Riverside and San Bernardino counties combined and 40 in Ventura County, ICE reported.
Of those arrested, 238 were suspected immigration fugitives -- people who allegedly had ignored final orders of deportation or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported. About 20 percent of those arrested had criminal histories in addition to being in the country illegally, ICE reported.
Among those arrested was Jose Perez-Padilla, 46, a previously deported Mexican citizen and gang member whose criminal history includes felony convictions for drug sales and assault with a deadly weapon, according to ICE.
Perez-Padilla was arrested by ICE agents on Wednesday when he arrived at the Superior Court building in downtown Los Angeles to respond to state charges of possession of marijuana for sale.
He now faces prosecution by the U.S. Attorney's office for re-entry after deportation, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The people arrested were from 18 different countries, including Mexico, Colombia, Indonesia, Armenia, Thailand and India.
Because many of the suspects have already been through immigration proceedings, they are subject to immediate removal from the country, according to ICE.
"We want to send a strong message to those who ignore deportation orders handed down by the nation's immigration judges -- that ICE is going to use all of the tools and resources at its disposal to find you and send you home," said Brian DeMore of ICE's Los Angeles field office.
So far this year, the ICE fugitive operations teams in the Los Angeles area have made more than 1,000 arrests.