Immigration arrests across Southern California over the past week were planned before President Trump took office and could be compared to similar operations the occurred last summer, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said.
(FOX)- The Los Angeles Times reported that authorities arrested more than 160 people in the five-day sweep, most of whom have criminal histories.
David Marin, the director, told the paper that most of those arrested had prior felony convictions, but a few were taken in because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He said five people would not have met the Obama administration’s enforcement priorities but were arrested because they were found to be in the country illegally.
“The rash of these recent reports about ICE checkpoints and random sweeps and the like, it’s all false, and that’s definitely dangerous and irresponsible,” Marin told the paper. “Reports like that create panic, and they put communities and law enforcement personnel in unnecessary danger.”
He said similar operations took place this week in Atlanta, New York and Chicago.