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Written by YNN YNN
Published: 28 August 2016 28 August 2016

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) have arrested three at-large criminal aliens after they were released from local custody when detainers lodged with Philadelphia authorities were not honored. The men have previous convictions for crimes including DUI, aggravated assault, weapons offenses and narcotics manufacturing.

The three men arrested were:

“At-large criminal alien arrests are among the most dangerous type of enforcement actions ICE officers are engaged in on a daily basis. These arrests also represent the greatest risk to the community,” said Thomas Decker, ERO Philadelphia field office director. “This level of risk can be mitigated in many instances. ICE welcomes changes to the current policy that would allow the city to cooperate with ICE toward achieving the shared goal of protecting public safety and national security while balancing important community policing needs."

ICE is committed to focusing on smart, effective immigration enforcement.  With the implementation of the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) more than a year ago, many law enforcement agencies that had previous declined to cooperate with ICE, including some large jurisdictions, are now once again working with the agency.  Through PEP, DHS continues to make significant strides in building partnerships with local law enforcement and community leaders to ensure a common-sense approach that focuses enforcement resources on convicted criminals and individuals who threaten public safety or national security.

In fiscal 2015, ICE removed or returned 235,413 individuals. Of this total, 165,935 were apprehended while, or shortly after, attempting to illegally enter the United States. The remaining 69,478 were apprehended in the interior of the United States, and the vast majority were convicted criminals who fell within ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities.

98 percent of ICE's fiscal 2015 removals and returns fell into one or more of ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities, with 86 percent falling in Priority 1 and 8 percent in Priority 2. In addition, ICE's interior enforcement activities led to an increase in the percentage of interior removals that were convicted criminals, growing from 82 percent in fiscal 2013 to 91 percent in 2015.