The Department of Justice said 960 immigration-related arrests were made in the past week in the four U.S.-Mexico border states and that many of those arrested face felony charges outside of charges for being in the U.S. illegally.
The Southern District of Texas reported the most significant number of cases in the past week with 257 arrests, including 98 defendants charged with illegally reentering the U.S. A majority had previously been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. including "violent and/or sexual crimes," the DOJ said.
The government's "Operation Take Back America" was announced in early March with the directive to federal prosecutors handling immigration related cases to "pursue the most serious, readily provable offense."
The DOJ reported that the cases in Texas include 23 defendants who were accused of human smuggling. Federal prosecutors in Arizona reported charging nine people with human smuggling offenses.
In California, prosecutors charged 110 people with illegally reentering the U.S. They also reported a "significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security."
Additional cases in the immigration enforcement sweep are being handled by prosecutors in Arizona and New Mexico. The DOJ reported 840 similar cases throughout the four states in the previous week.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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