A Mexican man and alleged member of the Sureños criminal street gang living in Arvada, Colorado and a Jamaican man in Atlanta who was convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer were part of a nationwide sweep of 2,059 convicted criminals arrested and targeted for deportation, federal officials announced Monday.
The five-day operation, dubbed “Cross Check,” involved hundreds of federal officers led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nearly half of those arrested had felony convictions, including voluntary manslaughter, child pornography, robbery, kidnapping and rape, ICE officials said. Those arrested came from 94 different countries.
The operation was part of ICE’s efforts to prioritize enforcement on convicted criminals and public safety threats, said ICE Director Sarah Saldaña in a statement.
“By taking these individuals off our streets and removing them from the country, we are making our communities safer for everyone,” Saldaña said.
This is the sixth nationwide Cross Check operation, which began in 2011. Since then, five previous sweeps have led to the arrest of more than 13,200 people, officials said.