The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Public Affairs announced Tuesday that last week that 53 illegal aliens were arrested in a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement enforcement operation. The statement released can be read below.

Forty-four illegal aliens were arrested during a weeklong enforcement operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego last week. An additional nine previously identified targets whose detainers were not honored were taken into ICE custody prior to the commencement of the operation.

The five-day operation, which concluded Friday, April 20 was conducted by deportation officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) as part of the agency’s commitment to prioritize at-large criminal aliens. The targets included individuals with final orders of removal, those who illegally re-entered the country after being removed, individuals whose detainers were not honored and were encountered after their release from jail pursuant to SB-54, and individuals who have otherwise violated federal immigration laws.

“Last week’s enforcement actions reflect the vital work ERO officers do every day to uphold public safety and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls,” said Gregory Archambeault, Field Office Director of the San Diego Field Office for ERO. “While we continue to face significant obstacles in dealing with so-called “sanctuary-city” polices, which hinder cooperation with local law enforcement, we will continue our relentless pursuit of safeguarding communities, diligently enforcing the U.S. immigration laws”.

The arrests took place in Santee, Vista, Encinitas, Chula Vista, Escondido, Oceanside, San Diego and Imperial Beach. The arrests included Mexican and Guatemalan nationals.

The criminal histories of the individuals taken into custody include crimes such as vandalism, hit and run, larceny, drug offenses and driving under the influence. Ten of the individuals arrested during the operation were previously deported aliens.

Those arrested during the operation include:

A Mexican national previously convicted of Possession for Sale of Heroin. He was previously removed as an aggravated felon. He was turned over to the United States Marshals Service, and is pending prosecution for Reentry after Removal of an Aggravated Felon.

A Mexican national pending charge of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs and Contempt of Court. His immigration detainer was not honored. He remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before an immigration judge.

A Mexican national pending Driving Under the Influence and Possession of a Controlled Substance. He remains in ICE custody pending a hearing before an Immigration Judge.

A Mexican national previously removed from the United State and is pending charges of Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs. His immigration detainer was not honored. He was removed from the United States to Mexico the same day of arrest.

This week’s enforcement action was coordinated with ICE’s National Fugitive Operations Program, which is responsible for investigating, locating, arresting and removing at-large criminal aliens, immigration fugitive aliens – aliens who have ignored final orders of deportation handed down by federal immigration courts, and aliens that have reentered after removal. ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams give top priority to cases involving aliens who pose a threat to national security and public safety.

Editor’s note: The arrest statistics provided in this news release represent preliminary data that has been manually reported to ICE headquarters.