ICE Sweeps Chicago Area

By Prescott Carlson in News on Jul 24, 2009 9:31PM

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were busy in Chicagoland this past week, rounding up people with known gang ties in the city and various suburbs. 19 arrests were made in Chicago, Addison, Bensenville, Blue Island, Carpentersville, and Hanover Park. The majority arrested reportedly are in the U.S. illegally from Mexico, with one person from Guatemala, another from El Salvador. All 19 are facing deportation. ICE also tagged for deportation 6 known gang members already sitting in various county jails, who will be turned over to the federal agency after they serve their time.

The sting was part of an initiative of ICE dubbed "Operation Community Shield," where ICE agents work with other law enforcement agencies down to the local level with the goal of reducing violent gang crime:

"By partnering with local law enforcement, ICE is making great strides in combating gang activity in our communities," said James Gibbons, acting special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Chicago. "ICE aggressively targets illegal alien gang members who instill fear in our neighborhoods through intimidation and violence."

Since the operation started almost 4 years ago, ICE has arrested 13,800 gang members nationwide.