UPDATE: Illegal aliens who fled Saturday traffic stop now also in custody (Banner Graphic)

UPDATE: Illegal aliens who fled Saturday traffic stop now also in custody
Saturday, February 11, 2017

CLOVERDALE -- Eight illegal aliens are now in custody following a Saturday-morning traffic stop by an Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement trooper.

Six individuals were taken into custody at the time of the stop, while two others fled the scene and remained at large until they were arrested by Indiana State Police Sunday afternoon.

Indiana State Police reported that at 10 a.m. they received a tip that the two males could possibly be found at a local restaurant on Main Street in Cloverdale.

Troopers went to the establishment, located the males and took them into custody without incident.

At 8:56 a.m. Saturday, the trooper stopped a blue Toyota Sequoia with Texas registration for an unsafe lane movement violation near the 43-mile marker on eastbound Interstate 70, two miles east of Cloverdale.

During subsequent conversation with the driver, the trooper noticed indicators of possible criminal activity, Indiana State Police at Putnamville reported.

Further investigation revealed the eight passengers were illegal aliens with no identification, including a 15-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy -- both reportedly without parents.

All the individuals involved are believed to be from the countries of Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

The driver was believed to be en route from Houston, Texas, to Baltimore, Md., authorities said.

Six of the illegals were detained without incident, but two fled south from the I-70 traffic stop scene on foot into a field near the County Road 475 East overpass.

The investigation was conducted by the federal agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the first six individuals detained are in federal custody in Indianapolis.

ISP made no arrests on the initial incident, but the two men captured Sunday were arrested and booked in the Putnam County Jail. They will remain until agents from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency pick them up on Tuesday.

No criminal charges will be filed.

Assisting were the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department and the Cloverdale Police Department.

Local immigration attorney says Monett on edge, feels fears mostly unwarranted (KY3-MO)

Local immigration attorney says Monett on edge, feels fears mostly unwarranted
By Sara Forhetz | Posted: Mon 6:22 PM, Feb 13, 2017 | Updated: Mon 6:26 PM, Feb 13, 2017

MONETT, Mo. Initial numbers show about 600 undocumented immigrants were picked up over the weekend-- to be deported. Now, many more are on edge across the U.S., and in Monett.

The Barry County town had two illegals arrested two weeks ago, both were working in the kitchen at the Ziggie's restaurant in Monett.

Fear is rising in the small town-- thinking who may be next.

"This is Alejandra and he is 16 years old... he is in school and he plays baseball, he loves baseball," explained Alejandra's mom, Anabell Groomer.

For Anabell, born and raised in Honduras, Monett, Missouri, USA-- is now home sweet home.

"I feel like I am from here now because I went back to my country and it was different... so I feel like I am from America!" she said. "I went to Kansas City and I did my test and then I got 6 questions of out 10 correct, and I got my citizenship and I become like you-- a citizen."

Anabell's helper-- is her husband, who's an immigration attorney in Monett.

"I love the Hispanic community. I went into law school to be an immigration attorney and it's very personal to me... absolutely," said attorney Darwin Groomer.

He's had potential clients pouring in over the last few days-- with fear. Groomer says he believes much of it, is unwarranted.

"ICE doesn't have the money, they don't have the resources to do door to door arrests... as long as ICE does not begin to go door to door and arbitrarily start profiling people... I mean, that's the fear.. but then the fear will eventually subside," Darwin said.

Groomer says if your record is clean-- you're likely fine. He and his wife are pushing people to go through the process legally... especially their loved ones.

"I have bunch of friends who are residents for a long time like my brother-- I've been asking him everyday... becoming a citizen... but he's afraid," Anabell said. "He's afraid... his English, he's still learning English."

Darwin says the time is too much to wait for some people.

"She's applied for her brother's permanent residence. He's going to have to wait 10 years to enter... and we're going about everything the right way... the process is too difficult, and if they could just make it more streamlined and more efficient," Darwin said.

"My brother, he worked for a company over there and he only make like 120-dollars a month-- and he worked from Monday through Saturday sometimes," Anabell said. "These same people can come to America do the same thing and make 500 bucks a week instead of 120 a month-- so it's just greater opportunity."

ICE agents picked up two kitchen workers for deportation at the Ziggies restaurant in Monett two weeks ago.

We know at least one had a criminal history-- and had a prior order to leave.

ICE says they are targeting illegal immigrants with a serious criminal record.

Suspected illegal aliens arrested in Hamburg (WKBW-NY)

Suspected illegal aliens arrested in Hamburg
WKBW Staff 9:57 PM, Feb 13, 2017

HAMBURG, N.Y. (WKBW) - U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 23 suspected illegal aliens at a convenience store in Hamburg on Monday.

The incident happened at the 7-Eleven located on Southwestern Boulevard near Sowles Road.

A spokesperson for the federal agency says the bust was not related to the store, but was the result of an encounter during patrol.

The suspects have been taken to a holding facility where they will be processed.

The incident is currently under investigation by U.S. Border Patrol.

84 people in North Carolina face deportation after ICE raids (MyFox8.com)

84 people in North Carolina face deportation after ICE raids
BY CARLY HILDYARD,
POSTED 6:46 PM, FEBRUARY 13, 2017, UPDATED AT 06:47PM, FEBRUARY 13, 2017

North Carolina is one of seven states where undocumented immigrants have been taken into custody in the past week. Of those, 84 people in North Carolina now face deportation.

President Donald Trump tweeted this weekend saying this is part of fulfilling his campaign promises, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seem to tell a different story.

In a statement Monday, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly said these arrests are routine and daily operations. He said in a series of "targeted enforcement operations," immigration officials targeted people who posed public safety threats, including criminals, gang members and people who re-entered the United States illegally after they were already removed.

In Washington, D.C., chanting protesters filled the streets outside the White House this weekend. They opposed ICE raids across the country.

Hundreds of undocumented people in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, California, Texas, New York, Illinois and Texas face deportation.

Here in the Piedmont, Chapman Law Firm says it's getting numerous calls from both legal and undocumented immigrants.

“They are really concerned about their safety and the safety of their family members. They’re terrified," Gerry Chapman said.

About 190 of those arrests happened in Georgia and the Carolinas. Most of them, 127 out of those 190, had "prior criminal convictions," according to ICE.

ICE did not release many specifics on who they arrested, but we were given one profile of a man arrested in Charlotte. He's a Mexican national who'd been previously convicted on three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child. He was deported once before and returned illegally again.

Some of the undocumented immigrants in custody will face criminal charges in the United States. Others will be moved through the legal process of being deported from the country.

In the same statement, ICE officials said while these raids are targeted, "reports of ICE checkpoints and sweeps are false, dangerous and irresponsible."

Trump commented on the arrests in a joint news conference with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday.

"I said in the beginning, we are going to get the bad ones," Trump said.

Trump bragged about the operation, which ICE has said is routine and was not tied to Trump's recent executive order dealing with interior security.

"We have really done a great job," he said. "We're actually taking people that are criminals, very, very hardened criminals in some cases, with a tremendous track record of abuse and problems, and we're getting them out."

Trump's executive order does give ICE officials the power to use their own discretion when making an arrest. They can decide whether that person poses a risk to public safety or national security, event if they have not been convicted of a criminal offense.

Right now, about 11 million undocumented people are believed to live in the U.S. During former President Barack Obama's terms, at least 2.5 million people were deported from the U.S. That number went up from about 2 million people deported during former President George W. Bush's terms.

Immigration enforcement surge across Midwest leads to 26 arrests in KC area (Kansas City Star)

Immigration enforcement surge across Midwest leads to 26 arrests in KC area
BY IAN CUMMINGS icummings@kcstar.com
FEBRUARY 13, 2017 7:16 PM

A weeklong, multistate operation by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency led to the arrests of 26 people in the Kansas City area and dozens more elsewhere in Kansas and Missouri, according to authorities.

The operation last week included six Midwestern states and unfolded over several days as similar actions netted hundreds more arrests in major metro areas across the country. On Sunday, rumors of immigration sweeps at Kansas City churches proved unfounded but pointed to widespread anxiety in the community.

Federal officials insist they have not made fundamental changes in enforcement actions and that the recent actions are part of regularly scheduled operations.

The arrests in the Kansas City area targeted people who had illegally entered the country and had been convicted of crimes, according to ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer. Some of those arrested had been convicted of charges that included drug and weapons possession, drunken driving and child abuse. Some had been convicted of illegal entry or minor traffic violations. Two did not appear to have faced a criminal charge but were present in the country without documents, Neudauer said.

Several of the arrests took place in surrounding cities, including Independence, Lawrence and Excelsior Springs. Most of those arrested had come from Mexico. Others came from Guatemala, Honduras and Ecuador. One man came from France.

The agency arrested another 32 people in Wichita, Dodge City, Garden City and surrounding areas, and 13 in the St. Louis area. The entire operation, across Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Kentucky, ended with 235 arrests.

In the wake of the arrests, and renewed fears of the widespread immigration crackdown promised by President Donald Trump, Kansas City Public Library officials have planned a letter-writing event to offer support to immigrants.

The Kansas-Missouri Dream Alliance, along with lawyers, faith leaders and other community organizations, mobilized Sunday to respond to the rumored sweeps at area churches.

ICE officials pushed back against those rumors Sunday, saying the agency does not set up checkpoints or conduct indiscriminate raids on immigrants.

Neudauer said the enforcement action last week was a regular practice that the agency has conducted for years and that it targeted specific individuals considered to be fugitive criminals.

Immigration enforcement teams make such arrests every day, Neudauer said. Actions like the one last week occur when all of the agency’s teams in a given region go out at once with lists of individuals to arrest.

Some of those arrested last week may be quickly deported if they have already been convicted of illegal re-entry, Neudauer said. Others may be held in custody or released on bond while their cases work through the courts.

Meanwhile, Trump on Sunday morning said that with the nationwide crackdown, he is keeping his campaign promise.

“The crackdown on illegal criminals is merely the keeping of my campaign promise,” he tweeted. “Gang members, drug dealers & others are being removed!”