Major ICE Crackdown In DC/VA Nets 132 Arrests

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement just conducted a major sweep in D.C. and Northern Virginia, arresting 132 undocumented immigrants -- but it's not clear whether the roundup included anything more than a handful of violent criminals.

Officers from ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Field Office rounded up immigrants from July 9-20, ICE said in a statement. The Trump Administration has characterized this renewed push against immigration as a way to prevent violent criminals from getting into the country, but ICE was able to identify just eight of the 132 arrestees as being either suspected or convicted of violent crimes, or being connected to gangs. An ICE spokesperson did not return a call requesting more information.

Expect that to continue, ICE says. Immigrants who have not committed violent crimes -- or any crime at all beyond illegal immigration -- are at risk of being targeted by ICE, the agency warned in the statement.

"ICE no longer exempts classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement," the statement reads. "All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention, and if found removable by final order, removal from the United States."

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The statement does not indicate where in Virginia and D.C. the arrests were made.

ICE, which has only existed since 2003, has drawn intense criticism in recent months due to reports that it is targeting non-violent undocumented immigrants as part of a wide-ranging crackdown under the Trump Administration.

ICE has more frequently targeted immigrants without a criminal record under Trump. Immigration arrests of people with criminal records made up 87.2 percent of total ICE arrests back in 2015, but under Trump they now make up just 65.3 percent of arrests, and an even smaller percentage consist of those who have committed violent crimes.

It has led to a push from some on the left to abolish ICE, especially after reports surfaced earlier this year that the agency was separating families at the border. Proponents of ICE argue that the agency is doing important work and therefore calls to abolish the agency are extreme.

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 18: Activists, including childcare providers, parents and their children, protest against the Trump administrations recent family detention and separation policies for migrants along the southern border, near the New York offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), July 18, 2018 in New York City. On Wednesday, the GOP-led House of Representatives passed a resolution supporting ICE and denounced calls by some Democrats and progressive activists to abolish ICE. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)