20 Arrested In Loudoun During ICE Sweep (Leesburg Today)

20 Arrested In Loudoun During ICE Sweep

Thursday, March 24, 2011 3:33 PM EDT

Twenty people living in Loudoun were arrested during a three-day operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that involved the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, Virginia State Police, the U.S. Marshal Service and nine other local law enforcement agencies.

During operation that concluded Tuesday, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers arrested 130 illegal immigrants with prior convictions for a variety of crimes, including rape, assault, burglary and narcotics possession. Additionally included in those arrested were eight fugitives and three people who had previously been deported and re-entered the country. Loudoun's arrests were mostly nonviolent cases, except for one weapons case, sheriff's office spokesman Vincent DiBenedetto said.

"Sixteen of ours were listed as criminal," he said. "Three were non-criminal which could mean they just did not have all the proper paperwork when we arrested them. They may not have been on the target list."

Those listed as non-criminal did not have previous convictions. The final person had been charged with a hit and run, but there was no disposition. Most of the prior convictions for the Loudoun aliens had been for non-violent crimes such as larceny, forgery and fraud, and many had DUI and hit and run convictions.

"Not everybody arrested was illegal. Many of them were here legally, but committed a crime while they were. When ICE learns of these things they can begin the deportation proceedings," DiBenedetto said.

Eleven of those arrested were from El Salvador, two were from Honduras, and other individuals were from Laos, the Ivory Coast, South Korea, Peru, Bolivia, Canada and the United Kingdom.

"Our office has had a longstanding working relationship with ICE that has been a great help to our citizens," Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson stated. "This on-going effort underscores the importance of the partnership between ICE and local law enforcement in achieving our core mission, which is to enhance public safety, by removing criminal aliens from our communities."

According to ICE, there were 163 total arrests of which 130 were criminal aliens, eight were fugitives, three had already been deported and came back illegally and 22 were non criminals who were issued a notice to appear in immigration court. Of the 163 arrested, 134 were men and 29 were women. They represent more than 32 different nations, including countries in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, the Caribbean, and Africa.

All of those people arrested in Loudoun were transported by ICE authories to facilities outside of the county for holding. The aliens detained who are not being criminally prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the country, according to ICE. Those who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United State illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country and may be criminally prosecuted. The remaining aliens are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future.