49 Filipinos deported from US for committing various crimes
LOS ANGELES — A total of 49 Filipinos were deported back to their home countries by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week.
Forty-six of those removed had been convicted of criminal offenses that include felony drug trafficking and possession, child abuse, sex crimes, aggravated assault, weapons possession, identity theft, stalking and burglary.
The ICE did not name the 106 immigration violators - including the 57 other Southeast Asian nationals - or specify which criminal offense the Filipinos were convicted of. The repatriated Southeast Asians also include 44 Indonesians and 13 Cambodians. The group included 98 males and eight females.
These individuals came into ICE custody from locations throughout the United States and were housed at various detention facilities across the country before being transported to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Wash., shortly before the flight last Tuesday, Aug 14.
ICE officers and medical staff with the Division of Immigration Health Services accompanied aliens on the flight along with consular officials from the destination countries.
This marks only the second time ICE, the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, has carried out such a flight to Southeast Asia. Early this year, the ICE removed 123 nationals of the Philippines and Indonesia.
Forty-three of the individuals have criminal convictions that include aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, sexual assault, sexual offenses against a child, drug offenses and fraud.
“This year ICE expects to remove a record number of immigration violators from the country and charter flights like this are helping us to achieve those gains," said Jim Hayes, acting director of ICE detention and removal operations, in a statement.
“The United States welcomes law-abiding immigrants, but foreign nationals who violate our laws and commit crimes in our communities should be on notice that ICE is going to use all of the tools and resources at its disposal to find you and send you home."
During the first 10 months of fiscal year 2008, ICE removed more than 235,000 individuals from the United States, including more than 74,000 who had criminal histories. - Pasckie Pascua, Philippine News
Forty-six of those removed had been convicted of criminal offenses that include felony drug trafficking and possession, child abuse, sex crimes, aggravated assault, weapons possession, identity theft, stalking and burglary.
The ICE did not name the 106 immigration violators - including the 57 other Southeast Asian nationals - or specify which criminal offense the Filipinos were convicted of. The repatriated Southeast Asians also include 44 Indonesians and 13 Cambodians. The group included 98 males and eight females.
These individuals came into ICE custody from locations throughout the United States and were housed at various detention facilities across the country before being transported to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Wash., shortly before the flight last Tuesday, Aug 14.
ICE officers and medical staff with the Division of Immigration Health Services accompanied aliens on the flight along with consular officials from the destination countries.
This marks only the second time ICE, the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, has carried out such a flight to Southeast Asia. Early this year, the ICE removed 123 nationals of the Philippines and Indonesia.
Forty-three of the individuals have criminal convictions that include aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a firearm, burglary, sexual assault, sexual offenses against a child, drug offenses and fraud.
“This year ICE expects to remove a record number of immigration violators from the country and charter flights like this are helping us to achieve those gains," said Jim Hayes, acting director of ICE detention and removal operations, in a statement.
“The United States welcomes law-abiding immigrants, but foreign nationals who violate our laws and commit crimes in our communities should be on notice that ICE is going to use all of the tools and resources at its disposal to find you and send you home."
During the first 10 months of fiscal year 2008, ICE removed more than 235,000 individuals from the United States, including more than 74,000 who had criminal histories. - Pasckie Pascua, Philippine News
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