Nearly 500 people were arrested during a four-day nationwide sweep by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that ended Wednesday.
The arrests under Operation Safe City included 45 people in the five boroughs, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley; 107 in Philadelphia; and 101 in Los Angeles.
Among those arrested in New York was an Ecuadorean man with lawful permanent resident status who had been convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse of a minor under 14.
ICE officials said the sweep targeted cities where deportation officers are not allowed into jails and prisons to interview “suspected immigration violators.”
They said the operation did not focus on active Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals enrollees but rather on people who have violated immigration laws and had criminal convictions, pending criminal charges or re-entered the United States after deportation.
According to ICE, 317 of those arrested had criminal convictions, 68 were immigration fugitives and 18 are gang members or affiliates.
The majority of the convictions, 86, were for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs followed by 14 for drug trafficking and 13 for assault.
Anyone arrested who has outstanding orders of removal or returned to the United States after being deported will be immediately deported, while others will face federal criminal prosecutions or remain in ICE custody until a hearing before an immigration judge.
