Sturtevant Part of Wisconsin Immigration Crackdown

One person was arrested in Sturtevant this week as part of a nationwide immigration crackdown run by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. 

The Sturtevant man was a Mexican citizen. Like the other 2,900 people arrested in the crackdown nationwide, he had a prior criminal conviction. ICE officials were unable to say what the conviction was for. One person from Racine was arrested in the operation.

"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment and focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens and those that game our nation's immigration system," said ICE Director John Morton. "Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers and agents in tracking down at large criminal aliens and fugitives, there are 2,901 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods across the country."

According to ICE, the seven-day operation was the largest of its kind and involved more than 1,900 ICE officers and agents from all of the agency's field offices. Arrests took place in all 50 states and four U.S. territories.

More than 1,600 of those arrested had felony convictions for crimes including manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, child abuse and drug trafficking. Of the total 2,901 arrested, 42 were gang members and 151 were convicted sex offenders.

The ICE press release said 681 of those arrested were also immigration fugitives who had previously been ordered to leave the country, and 386 had previously been removed from the country and returned illegally. At least 146 of those arrested were presented to U.S. attorneys for possible prosecution on a variety of charges including illegal re-entry after deportation, a felony which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. 

Other arrests statewide took place in Benet Lake, Burlington, Darien, Delavan, Elkhorn, Genoa City, Hartland, Lake Geneva, Milwaukee, Mukwonago, Richfield, Union Grove and Waukesha. ICE was assisted in the operation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Wisconsin Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation and members of the FBI/Racine County Gang Task Force.