Over the course of a 12-day operation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested over 200 illegal aliens with a wide array of convictions for drug-related charges, including trafficking and possession.
As reported by Fox News, the arrests occurred from March 11th through March 22nd across 25 different cities, ranging from Seattle, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts. The drugs involved in the charges included cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, among others. The arrested illegals came from 30 different foreign locations.
Of the 216 arrested, 36 have already been deported, with the remaining 180 set to be deported as well in the near future.
“This operation enabled us to do what ERO’s (Enforcement and Removal Operations) were created to do, and that is focus on smart and effective immigration enforcement to protect our homeland by arresting and removing people who undermine public safety and violate the integrity of our immigration laws,” said Acting ICE Director P.J. Lechleitner in a press conference.
In addition to the 216 arrests, another 420 illegals were identified over the course of the operation but have not yet been arrested.
Lechleitner also pointed to the massive volume of drugs involved in the ongoing border crisis, which led to 110,000 drug overdose deaths in fiscal year 2023, as per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
“So, we’re on a mission to protect the American public by detaining and removing people who contribute to this horrible drug crisis,” Lechleitner continued. “And that’s exactly what this is, it’s a crisis. Although our resources are stretched thin, and we struggle to get the funding we need, we remain focused on targeting non-citizens who threaten the public safety of our communities during operations like this.”