U.S. Immigration and Customs In New Jers...

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U.S. Immigration and Customs In New Jersey Arrests More Than 5,000  For The Fiscal Year

NEWARK, N.J – The New Jersey office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced that ICE agents and officers in the state completed more than 5,300 successful enforcement actions, including arrests and deportations, during the fiscal year that ended on September 30th. These enforcement actions reflect ICE’s continuing efforts to address individuals and organizations in New Jersey that pose national security or public safety threats.

ICE’s Office of Investigations and Office of Detention and Removal Operations announced the enforcement actions jointly. The arrests and deportations include some of the worst of the criminal element, according to ICE Special Agent in Charge Kyle Hutchins and ICE Detention and Removal Field Office Director Ray Simonse.

The successful enforcement year included 467 arrests for criminal violations of customs and immigration laws, as well as 1,590 arrests for administrative immigration violations. The enforcement results also include the deportation of 2,400 criminal and immigration violators. The New Jersey Fugitive Operations team also arrested 892 fugitives from justice with final orders of removal based on criminal convictions, immigration violations or warrants from other countries. The removal of criminal aliens from the United States has become a national priority.

The two major ICE enforcement programs complement each other by investigating and dismantling criminal organizations -- such as drug, alien, or weapons smuggling organizations -- and then removing foreign national criminals from the streets of New Jersey. ICE is using a coordinated approach to enforcing customs and immigration laws with the goal of making the Garden State a safer place for its residents.

Detention and Removal FOD Raymond Simonse pointed out that many of the successful criminal cases from the investigations program are subsequently removed from the country after serving their convictions. Failure to obey removal orders from an immigration court makes a person a fugitive, Simonse said, and ICE officers are dedicated to enforcing the court order.

Simonse said, “Apprehending nearly 900 individuals in one year should put fugitives on notice we are searching for you and when we find you, we will remove you.”

The fiscal year 2005 enforcement actions included:

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