New ICE Sweep in NJ Nabs 115 Including Several Homicide Suspects

Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of more than 100 foreign nationals in New Jersey, many of them with criminal records, in a nearly week-long sweep of the state.

From Jan. 27 to Feb. 1, ICE arrested 115 people from 23 countries.

Of those arrested, 84% had prior criminal convictions and/or pending criminal charges, and three of them were previously deported, according to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in a written statement.

A person who illegally re-enters the United States after being deported can face up to 20 years in federal prison, according to ICE officials.

At least three of the people arrested had been accused or convicted of murder in their native country, also according to ICE.

ICE provided some details on the arrests:
— A 53-year-old Brazilian national, wanted on a warrant for homicide in Brazil, was arrested in Newark.
— A 28-year-old Salvadoran national, who has a pending homicide case in El Salvador, was arrested in Elizabeth.
— A 60-year-old previously deported Mexican national, previously convicted of homicide, was arrested in Glassboro.
— A 31-year-old previously deported Guatemalan national, previously convicted of domestic violence and DUI, was arrested in Plainfield.
— A 46-year-old previously deported Mexican national, convicted of criminal sexual contact involving a minor, was arrested in West Milford.

Those arrested by ICE agents in New Jersey were from the following countries:
— 32 people from Mexico
— 16 people from Guatemala
— 12 people from El Salvador
— 9 people from Dominican Republic
— 9 people from Ecuador
— 9 people from Honduras
— 4 people from Brazil
— 3 people from Colombia
— 2 people each from Costa Rica, Cuba, India, Jamaica, Peru, Poland and Spain
— 1 person each from Argentina, Bolivia, Ghana, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, United Kingdom and Venezuela

Convictions and pending charges of those arrested include homicide, sexual assault on a minor, child abuse, drug possession or distribution, domestic violence, theft, robbery, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, assault by auto, receiving stolen property, shoplifting, burglary and illegal reentry.

The places where people were arrested by ICE over the six-day span include North Brunswick, Fairfield, North Bergen, Guttenberg, Paterson, Passaic and Pompton Plains.

As of Wednesday, there was no word on the names or gender of any of the 115 people arrested in the ICE sweep.