Tweet
Los Angeles Daily News, CA
March 11 2006
Immigration sweeps net gang members
By Josh Kleinbaum, Staff Writer
Nine foreign-born gang members were arrested in the San Fernando
Valley and Glendale on immigration charges during sweeps over the
past two weeks, and most will be deported, federal immigration
officials said Friday.
The sweeps targeted foreign nationals in the country illegally with a
history of violent crime or drug trafficking, officials said. The
nine suspects belonged to four gangs - three Hispanic gangs and one
Armenian gang.
"We're trying to use our limited resources to focus on true, hardened
criminals that we have jurisdiction over," said Jeremy Scott, a group
supervisor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"They were all targeted for their criminal history. They all had
state and local convictions, most of them for violence, some of them
for narcotics," Scott said.
One of the suspects, Raul Mercado of Mexico, will be prosecuted for
illegally entering the country after a prior deportation, a felony
punishable by up to 20 years in prison, said Scott.
Mercado, who was arrested in Tujunga, has prior convictions for
burglary, abuse of a controlled substance and making terrorist
threats, Scott said.
The other eight suspects - arrested in Granada Hills, Glendale and
other parts of the east San Fernando Valley - will be deported, Scott
said.
They were not identified because ICE doesn't release the names of
suspects subject to administrative deportation, ICE spokeswoman
Virginia Kice said.
"This isn't an immigration issue, this is a public-safety issue,"
Kice said. "When these gang members commit crimes and acts of
violence, the victims most often are immigrants from their own
community."
ICE also arrested 19 suspects in Orange County and 41 in San Diego
County in the latest raids, part of Operation Community Shield, ICE's
effort to crack down on gang members illegally in the country.
ICE agents identified the suspects from leads from local and state
law enforcement agencies, criminal sources, databases and other
sources, Kice said.
March 11 2006
Immigration sweeps net gang members
By Josh Kleinbaum, Staff Writer
Nine foreign-born gang members were arrested in the San Fernando
Valley and Glendale on immigration charges during sweeps over the
past two weeks, and most will be deported, federal immigration
officials said Friday.
The sweeps targeted foreign nationals in the country illegally with a
history of violent crime or drug trafficking, officials said. The
nine suspects belonged to four gangs - three Hispanic gangs and one
Armenian gang.
"We're trying to use our limited resources to focus on true, hardened
criminals that we have jurisdiction over," said Jeremy Scott, a group
supervisor for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"They were all targeted for their criminal history. They all had
state and local convictions, most of them for violence, some of them
for narcotics," Scott said.
One of the suspects, Raul Mercado of Mexico, will be prosecuted for
illegally entering the country after a prior deportation, a felony
punishable by up to 20 years in prison, said Scott.
Mercado, who was arrested in Tujunga, has prior convictions for
burglary, abuse of a controlled substance and making terrorist
threats, Scott said.
The other eight suspects - arrested in Granada Hills, Glendale and
other parts of the east San Fernando Valley - will be deported, Scott
said.
They were not identified because ICE doesn't release the names of
suspects subject to administrative deportation, ICE spokeswoman
Virginia Kice said.
"This isn't an immigration issue, this is a public-safety issue,"
Kice said. "When these gang members commit crimes and acts of
violence, the victims most often are immigrants from their own
community."
ICE also arrested 19 suspects in Orange County and 41 in San Diego
County in the latest raids, part of Operation Community Shield, ICE's
effort to crack down on gang members illegally in the country.
ICE agents identified the suspects from leads from local and state
law enforcement agencies, criminal sources, databases and other
sources, Kice said.