ICE Arrests 216 Illegal Immigrants With Drug Convictions in Nationwide Operation

ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations officers apprehended 216 unlawfully present noncitizens who have been convicted of drug trafficking or multiple drug possession related offenses. (ICE)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have apprehended 216 illegal immigrants with convictions for drug trafficking or multiple drug possessions as part of the agency’s latest nationwide operation, according to officials.

The latest enforcement effort took place on March 11–26, across 25 different jurisdictions, including major cities such as Boston, Seattle, and Washington, ICE Acting Director Patrick Lechleitner told reporters at a press conference on March 28.

Those arrested by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers included illegal immigrants who have been charged with drug-related offenses involving methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, or synthetic drugs, according to officials.

They included a 44-year-old citizen of Mexico in Baltimore who was convicted in October 2023 of felony money laundering, misdemeanor narcotics conspiracy, misdemeanor money laundering conspiracy, felony distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin, and felony possessing/using/carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

Officers also arrested a 34-year-old citizen of El Salvador in Cincinnati who was convicted in late 2023 of felony conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Another 44-year-old Mexican man was arrested in Spokane, Washington, according to ICE.

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That individual was previously convicted in 2001 of multiple drug-related charges, including manufacturing, delivering, and possession with intent of heroin. In 2003, the same man was convicted of charges related to cocaine, officials said.

Arrested Had Multiple Drug Convictions

Elsewhere, ICE arrested a 32-year-old citizen of India in Orlando, Florida, who was previously convicted of felony trafficking of oxycodone, an opioid commonly sold under brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin.

The same individual also had prior convictions for felony possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell or deliver and felony possession of oxycodone.

Others arrested by ICE officers had similar convictions, including a 42-year-old citizen of Guatemala who police arrested in Colorado Springs, Colorado. That individual had previously been convicted in 2017 of transporting and selling methamphetamine.

Nearly half of those arrested had been previously deported, according to officials. Mr. Lechleitner told reporters that in total, ICE officers had identified nearly 420 illegal immigrants during the operation, noting that those who have not yet been apprehended are still wanted by ICE.

Drug Overdose Deaths Rising

The arrests come at a time of increasing drug overdoses throughout the United States.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose deaths rose by 30 percent between 2019 and 2020 and by an additional 15 percent between 2020 and 2021.

More than 109,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in the 12 months ending in January 2023, according to provisional data from the CDC. Nearly 70 percent of those deaths involved illegally manufactured fentanyls.

“With more than 105,000 drug overdoses reported throughout the United States last year, the trafficking and proliferation of dangerous illegal drugs has shown its devastating impacts throughout our neighborhoods and schools,” said Russ Hott, ERO’s deputy executive associate director.

“Enforcement and Removal Operations personnel will continue to fight for the safety of our communities through the arrest and removal of those individuals who traffic drugs and exacerbate this terrible crisis.”

In February, ICE agents conducted a similar nationwide operation that led to the arrest of 275 illegal immigrant sex offenders, and in January, officers conducted an operation that led to the arrest of 171 illegal immigrants with pending charges or convictions for murder, homicide, or assault against children, among other offenses.

In fiscal year 2023, ERO agents with ICE arrested about 73,822 illegal immigrants who had criminal histories, including more than 33,209 who had been charged with assaults, more than 4,390 charged with sex and sexual assaults, and 1,713 who were charged with homicides.