By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, NEWARK, N.J., Tues. June 12, 2018: Over six dozen Caribbean and Latin American immigrants could soon be sent packing out of the US after they were nabbed and placed in detention last week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in New Jersey.
Seventy-four of the immigrants arrested in the operation by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) New Jersey Field Office are from the Americas, News Americas has found.
Thirty of the immigrants were from the Caribbean, a NAN analysis shows, while the other 44 were from across Latin America. The Dominican Republic accounted for the most number of immigrants nabbed – a whopping 14, including a 32-year-old with convictions of possession of cocaine, domestic violence assault, and trespassing, who was arrested in In Perth Amboy and a 54-year-old who has convictions for kidnapping and aggravated assault and was arrested in Jersey City.
Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago accounted for three immigrants respectively. Among the Jamaicans arrested was a 24-year-old who has convictions of endangering the welfare of a child and lewdness.
Two of the Caribbean immigrants nabbed were from Guyana while one each were from Anguilla and St. Lucia, respectively. The 23-year-old Anguillan nabbed in East Orange is a member of the Bloods gang.
From Latin America, 12 immigrants from Mexico were arrested along with 10 from El Salvador, four from Peru, Honduras and Colombia, each; 2 from Venezuela and one from Nicaragua.
One of the El Salvadoran immigrants arrested was an undocumented immigrant who has an Interpol warrant for being a member of MS-13 and trafficking in firearms and narcotics while one of the Venezuelan immigrants nabbed was a 39-year-old previously national who has convictions for aggravated assault, resisting arrest by force, possession of a weapon, and distribution of heroin.
Four other El Salvadorans arrested were members of MS-13.
In New Brunswick, a 47-year-old Honduran national with convictions for endangering the welfare of a child was rearrested by ICE along with a 21-year-old Honduran national in Pleasantville, who was also convicted for endangering the welfare of a child.
In Elizabeth, a 42-year-old Colombian national, who has a conviction for homicide was nabbed while in Bridgeton, a 41-year-old Mexican national who has a conviction for criminal sexual contact was arrested.
Many of the immigrants will now go through removal proceedings before an immigration judge while those under a final order of removal, will be deported from the U.S.
