At least 40 “foreign nationals” were arrested this week across New York City during a series of ICE raids, according to a newly leaked memo from U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
The memo, dated Feb 11, states that the “targeted enforcement operation [was] aimed at immigration fugitives, re-entrants, and at-large criminal aliens.”
“The vast majority (nearly 95%) of those arrested had criminal convictions,” the document, posted to the New York Immigration Coalition’s website adds.
It goes on to say “Final statistics and photos” will be available Monday, though it remains unclear why that information was not released in conjunction with the memo.
Those arrested during the raids will face prosecution, or at the very least processed for deportation.
Any of the 40 facing an outstanding order of deportation or those who re-entered the country will be subject to immediate removal, the memo states.
“All reports of ICE checkpoints and sweeps are false, dangerous, and irresponsible,” the leaked document adds. “These reports create mass panic and put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger. Any groups falsely reporting such activities are doing a disservice to those they claim to support.”
ICE has not yet confirmed or denied the details of the memo, and neither ICE nor The Department of Homeland Security have released a statement.
“We are horrified and angered by the ICE raids and activity in the greater New York area that has led to the arrest and detainment of 40 people,” The New York Immigration Coalition seethed in a statement.
“Shame on ICE for putting New York’s immigrant communities – four million strong – in a state of panic. These arrests do nothing but tear families apart, hobble our economies, and corrode the bonds of trust that tie our communities together – all under the false pretense of’ ‘public safety.’”
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