NEWARK, N.J. – A Brazilian national, in the country illegally and wanted in Brazil for homicide, was arrested last week during enforcement efforts conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in New Jersey, targeting at-large criminal aliens, illegal reentrants and other immigration violators.

“The remarkable results of our officers and law enforcement partners highlight ICE’s ongoing commitment to public safety in the face of the New Jersey Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive, which severely limits local and state law enforcement cooperation with ICE-ERO,” said Ruben Perez, acting field office director of ERO Newark. “This targeted enforcement action focuses on the arrest of individuals convicted of serious crimes and are a threat to public safety. Because of the targeted efforts of these professional officers, there are 115 fewer criminals in our communities.”

Any local jurisdiction thinking that refusing to cooperate with ICE will result in a decrease in local immigration enforcement is mistaken. These jurisdictions that choose to not cooperate with ICE are likely to see an increase in ICE enforcement activity as ICE has no choice but to conduct more at-large, targeted enforcement actions since the agency is unable to take custody of a criminal alien within the confines of a local jail.

Recent arrests include:

In Newark, a 53-year-old Brazilian national, who has a warrant in Brazil for the offense of homicide;

In Fairfield, a 58-year-old Peruvian national, who has a warrant in Peru for the offense of extortion;

In North Bergen, a 44-year-old Salvadoran national, who has a conviction for the offense of endangering the welfare of a child;

In Elizabeth, a 28-year-old Salvadoran national, who has a pending case in El Salvador for the offense of homicide;

In Glassboro, a 60-year-old previously deported Mexican national, who has a conviction for the offense of homicide;

In Guttenberg, a 40-year-old Mexican national, who has convictions for the offense of child abuse, DUI and domestic violence;

In North Brunswick, a 42-year-old Jamaican national, who has convictions for the offense of drug smuggling and exporting cocaine;

In Plainfield, a 31-year-old previously deported Guatemalan national, who has convictions for the offense of domestic violence and DUI;

In Paterson, a 45-year-old Salvadoran national who has convictions for the offense of endangering the welfare of a child and DUI;

In Passaic, a 50-year-old Bolivian national, who multiple convictions for the offense of endangering the welfare of a child, hindering apprehension and DUI;

In Pompton Plains, a 55-year-old United Kingdom national, who has convictions for the offense of arson, domestic violence and distribution of narcotics;

In West Milford, a 46-year-old previously deported El Salvadoran national, who has a conviction for criminal sexual contact involving a minor;

In Paterson a 22-year-old Dominican national, who is a member of the Trinitarios gang with convictions for the offense of possession of a weapon and theft; and

In Paterson, a 20-year-old Salvadoran national, who is a member of the MS-13 gang.

The individuals arrested throughout New Jersey were nationals of Argentina (1), Bolivia (1), Brazil (4), Colombia (3), Costa Rica (1), Cuba (2), Dominican Republic (9), Ecuador (9), El Salvador (12), Ghana (1), Guatemala (16), Honduras (9), India (2), Jamaica (2), Mexico (32), Nigeria (1), Panama (1), Peru (2), Philippines (1), Poland (2), Spain (2), United Kingdom (1), and Venezuela (1).

Some will face federal criminal prosecutions for illegal entry and illegal re-entry after removal. An alien who illegally re-enters the United States after removal can face up to 20 years in federal prison if criminally prosecuted.

From January 27 to February 1, ICE arrested 115 foreign nationals, and 84 percent had prior criminal convictions and/or pending criminal charges. Convictions and pending charges included: homicide, sexual assault on a minor, child abuse, possession of narcotics, distribution of narcotics, extortion, DUI, fraud, domestic violence, theft, possession of a weapon, robbery, aggravated assault, resisting arrest, endangering the welfare of a child, assault by auto, receiving stolen property, shoplifting, burglary and illegal reentry. Both ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) New York Field Office assisted ERO with these arrests.

“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is extremely proud to have assisted in this targeted enforcement action,” said Troy Miller, director of the CBP New York Field Office. “It is through collaborative efforts that law enforcement agencies can combat illegal acts and apprehend criminals who pose a threat to the homeland.”

ICE officers carry out targeted enforcement actions every day in locations around the country as part of the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect the nation, uphold public safety, and protect the integrity of our immigration laws and border controls.

ICE focuses its limited resources first and foremost by targeting those who pose the greatest threat to public safety and border security, and our officers make arrests every single day. The agency’s arrest statistics clearly reflect this. Nationally, approximately 86 percent of ERO’s administrative arrests during fiscal year 2019 either had a criminal conviction or were pending criminal charges.