MIRAMAR — Officers from U.S. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement arrested 230 undocumented immigrants in Florida who they say had been convicted of “heinous” sex crimes against children. The effort, dubbed “Operation Dirtbag,” spanned over a 10-day period in October, ICE confirmed on Nov. 13.
Some of the 230 people arrested came from Cuba, Venezuela and Ukraine. Their crimes ranged from sexual assault and battery, lewd and lascivious molestation of children, possession of controlled substances, burglary and attempted premeditated murder.
ICE deputy director Madison Sheahan said during a news conference at a federal facility in Miramar that “Operation Crime Return,” which officials alternately called “Operation Dirtbag,” was aimed at arresting “the worst of the worst.”
The announcement came at a time when the Trump administration has faced nationwide criticism, protests and pushback for its aggressive immigration crackdown in pursuit of what it has promised to be “the largest mass deportation” campaign in U.S. history.
A Nov. 2 CBS News/YouGov poll found 55% opposed Trump’s handling of immigration compared to 45% who favored it. An Oct. 22 report by the Public Religion Research Institute said 57% of those asked believed the Trump administration was going in the wrong direction in “the way the federal government is dealing with undocumented immigrants.”
The enforcement actions have previously led to conflicts with mayors and governors in various jurisdictions, including California and Illinois.
They’ve also fueled viral social-media posts that many have found disturbing, including apprehensions of adults at child care centers and in elementary school parent pickup lines. Videos have shown ICE agents arresting undocumented immigrants at their job locations, at public construction sites and during street raids.
A common denominator in the multitude of social-media posts is immigration enforcement aimed at people who have no criminal history but are being targeted because they have no legal or permanent status in the United States. About 70% of the people held by ICE have no criminal convictions, according to a September report by the Transactional Records Clearinghouse.
In Palm Beach County, the crackdown has also netted parishioners at local churches, day laborers and parents of U.S.-born children who were left stranded alone when either their mother or father was detained and deported.
ICE: Immigration roundup in Florida targeted ‘worst of the worst’ that preyed on children
All told, the detentions of people without a criminal record or past have challenged, if not belied and contradicted, the Trump’s administrations claims that its immigration crackdown seeks to remove only dangerous criminals.
During the Nov. 13 news conference, a top ICE official stated the latest sweep targeted individuals that have preyed on the most “vulnerable” in society — children.
“In just 10 days, we’ve been able to remove, in partnership with the state of Florida, over 230 of the worst of the worst, heinous criminals from their streets,” Sheahan said. “We have been able to set the tone for the nation of removing the worst of the worst.”
Sheahan lauded the so-called 287(g) federal-state partnership in Florida as a model in having way more law enforcement manpower assigned to immigration roundups. She said ICE agents partnered with deputies from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for “Operation Dirtbag” that ran from Oct. 25 through Nov. 4.
Among those detained were 54 sexual predators, 164 offenders of sexual crimes, two convicted murderers and one person convicted of drug trafficking and eight other heinous felonies, Sheahan said.
Sheahan, however, said ICE agents and local law enforcement cooperating under the 287(g) agreements signed by local governments will detain any person that is undocumented and living in the state of Florida.
That includes the roughly 300,000 Venezuelans in Florida and have now lost Temporary Protected Status this year under the Trump administration, Sheahan said.
“Anybody who is in this country illegally, we will continue to go after,” Sheahan said. “If we come across somebody that’s illegal, we’ll put them through immigration proceedings and ultimately be removed from this country.”
Anthony Coker, the executive director of the state’s Board of Immigration Enforcement, urged undocumented immigrants who are convicted sex offenders to turn themselves over at the Miramar ICE facility and to self-deports.
“Or you can spend time at Alligator Alcatraz, Deportation Depot and coming in Panhandle Pokey until we get you out of here,” Coker. “This is a law-and-order state.”
ICE wrote in a news release the arrests in “Operation Crime Return” highlighted the “critical 287(g) partnerships” that allows local law-enforcement officers who encounter suspected undocumented immigrants to question and arrest those who are violation of immigration law.
“The 287(g) Task Force Model is powerful force multiplier,” extending the reach of ICE and providing local agencies with a tool to protect their communities.”
Valentina Palm covers Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Greenacres, Palm Springs and other western communities in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Undocumented child sex offenders nabbed in Florida amid immigration crackdown backlash
Reporting by Valentina Palm, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
