U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers arrested 113 criminal illegal aliens in New Jersey this week during a five-day “enforcement surge.”

Officers targeted criminal aliens throughout the state during an operation from June 5 to 9. Officials reported 93 of the illegal aliens arrested had criminal convictions and 87 percent of those arrested had felony convictions, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from ICE officials.

“The continued results of our Fugitive Operations officers and their law enforcement partners underscore ICE’s ongoing and steady commitment to public safety,” Newark ERO Field Director John Tsoukaris said in a written statement. “As part of this operation, we continue focus on the arrest of individuals who are criminal and are a threat to public safety and national security. Because of the tireless efforts of these professional officers, there are 113 fewer criminals in our communities,” he added.

The criminal aliens nabbed ranged in ages between 18-years-old and 74-years-old. The crimes committed by these individuals included convictions for sexual offenses and offenses against children, including sexual assault on a minor, sexual exploitation of a minor, sex offense against a child/fondling, and child abuse. Other crimes against the person included aggravated assault, threats to kill, domestic violence and battery.

Some of the more egregious criminal aliens included:

An Iraqi citizen convicted of possession of narcotics

A Honduran citizen wanted by Honduras for the offense of double homicide

A Latvian citizen convicted of heroin sale

An El Salvador citizen convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor

An Ecuadorian citizen convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor

A Jordanian citizen convicted of synthetic narcotic possession

A Dominican citizen convicted of cocaine sale

A Bangladesh citizen convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon

The aliens arrested also had priors for theft crimes, including theft by the use of weapons or force – robbery, burglary, larceny, illegal use of credit cards, fraud, and theft of U.S. government property. Other convictions included: possession of, or distribution of narcotics, trespassing, damage to property, driving under the influence, possession of a weapon, and illegal reentry, officials reported.

The foreign nationals were from the following wide-array of countries: Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Korea, Latvia, Liberia, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, Trinidad and Uruguay.

The New Jersey Field Office for ICE, the New Jersey State Parole Office, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations assisted ICE ERO agents in arresting these criminal aliens.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is extremely proud to have assisted in this operation,” said Leon Hayward, acting director of the New York Field Office. “It is through collaborative efforts, such as the one leading to today’s arrests, that law enforcement agencies can combat illegal acts and apprehend criminals who pose a threat to the Homeland.”

A statement obtained from ICE by Breitbart Texas said that the agency is focusing on “smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security.”

ICE officials reported a near 40 percent increase in the numbers of criminal aliens arrested during Presidential Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office.

ERO officers have removed many violent offenders off the street, including those who were under ICE detainers but were released.

On June 1, Breitbart Texas reported that officials with the New York City Department of Corrections (NYCDOC) released 36-year-old Andres Flores Lopez from jail after he served time for a misdemeanor sexual offense. ICE ERO officers issued a detainer requesting authorities to detain him. In spite of giving the notice six months in advance, NYCDOC jail officials released the Mexican national who had two sexual abuse convictions, and they did so without notifying ICE. Following his release by local authorities, ICE officials issued a notice for the convicted sex offender to appear before an immigration judge for removal proceedings. When Flores Lopez failed to show up for his scheduled hearing, ERO officers tracked him down and arrested him in late May.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.