In a national sting operation that lasted through August and September, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 175 illegal aliens, all of whom had multiple DUI offenses and some who are being accused of murder by vehicle.
“More than 11,000 people in the U.S. died as a result of crashes involving a drunk driver in 2020,” said Corey A. Price, executive associate director of ICE’s enforcement and removal operations (ERO).
“An enforcement operation focusing on individuals who have previously been convicted of DUI—some resulting in death or serious bodily harm—is vitally important to public safety,” Price added. “ERO continues to remove unlawfully present individuals who are negatively affecting the safety of our communities.”
Among those arrested were nationals of Mexico and El Salvador, ICE said. The individuals were taken into custody in a number of states, including sanctuary states such as New York and California.
One such illegal alien, a 40-year-old man from Mexico, was arrested for first-degree homicide in Norcross, Georgia. The individual remains in ICE custody pending prosecution and deportation proceedings.
Another example involved a 35-year-old Salvadoran national who has been convicted of second-degree vehicular manslaughter. He was arrested in Bellport, New York.
Record-Low Numbers
The agency’s deportations and arrests have hit record lows under the administration of President Joe Biden, which narrowed ICE’s criteria for enforcement in 2021. The implementation of that guidance coincided with a sharp drop in arrests and deportations.In fiscal year 2021, during which Biden took office, ICE conducted 74,082 arrests, including 1,506 illegal aliens with homicide-related offenses and 12,025 with aggravated felony convictions. That fiscal year, only 59,011 illegal immigrants were deported.
In fiscal year 2019, the last full year that did not include the COVID-19 pandemic, ICE arrested 143,099 illegal immigrants and deported more than 267,000 individuals.
The Biden administration could easily stem the flow of people to the southern border, but doesn’t want to, Homan alleged. “They know how to fix this, but they don’t want to fix it,” he added.