Under President Donald Trump’s decisive leadership, federal authorities arrested hundreds in a major illegal immigration crackdown.
Specifically, 133 illegal aliens were apprehended during a decisive five-day sweep across New York State as part of “Operation Take Back America.”
The operation netted three convicted murderers, nine previously deported aliens, and several other criminals who have been living freely on American soil despite their dangerous backgrounds.
Working alongside multiple federal agencies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted the enforcement operation from March 24 to 28 across western, central, and northern New York.
The raids resulted in 84 arrests in the Buffalo and Rochester areas, with an additional 49 illegal aliens apprehended in Syracuse, Albany, Rouses Point, and Massena.
Among those arrested were 20 individuals with serious criminal histories. The offenders included three convicted murderers, as well as aliens with convictions for sexual conduct with a child, manslaughter, assault, drug trafficking, and child pornography.
These dangerous criminals had been living in American communities despite their illegal status and violent histories.
ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Buffalo Acting Deputy Field Office Director Philip Rhoney emphasized the importance of the operation:
“By leveraging our federal partnerships and intelligence-driven investigations, ICE continues to carry out its mission in a way that best serves national security, public safety and border security. I am grateful for the professionalism, dedication and support from all of our partners during this week-long operation to remove dangerous alien offenders from our New York communities.”
The operation also involved executing four criminal search warrants targeting locations suspected of sheltering illegal aliens.
These searches yielded crucial evidence, multiple bookings, and an additional 18 administrative arrests for violations of immigration law.
The evidence collected will boost ongoing investigations into organized criminal networks involved in human trafficking and smuggling operations.
“The success of this enhanced enforcement operation underscores the importance of utilizing a whole-of-government approach when protecting the public from criminal aliens and dangerous individuals living in our western, central, and northern New York communities,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan.
One notable arrest included South African citizen Marcell M. Meyer, who was taken into custody for distributing and possessing child pornography.
Nine of those arrested were previously deported foreign nationals who had illegally re-entered the United States. This felony offense carries a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison.
The New York operation is part of a larger nationwide effort under the Trump administration, which has deported over 100,000 illegals and arrested 113,000 others since January 20.
This marks a significant shift from the previous administration’s lax enforcement policies that allowed dangerous criminals to remain in American communities.
Partner agencies in the operation included the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Department of State.
This coordinated approach demonstrates the administration’s commitment to using all available resources to protect American citizens from illegal immigration and related crimes.
The public is encouraged to report suspicious activity and crimes to ICE via their hotline or online tip form.
With continued support from the public and coordination between federal agencies, operations like this will continue to remove dangerous illegal aliens from American communities and fulfill President Trump’s promise to restore America to greatness.
