Hundreds arrested in recent US immigration enforcement raids

United States immigration authorities have arrested hundreds of immigrants living in the United States illegally in raids across the country that began last week, although authorities say the enforcement action is not linked to a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump.

Trump said on Twitter Sunday morning that “The crackdown on illegal criminals is merely the keeping of my campaign promise. Gang members, drug dealers and others are being removed!”

The raids targeted criminal illegals, Gillian Christensen, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, told The Washington Post, noting they were part of a “routine” action.

“We’re talking about people who are threats to public safety or a threat to the integrity of the immigration system,” Christensen told the newspaper.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea told the French news agency, “The focus of these operations is no different than the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams on a daily basis.”

The enforcement actions took place in at least six states, and included cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, where more than 160 people were arrested throughout the week.

White House Senior Policy Adviser Stephen Miller told NBC’s Meet the Press that the enforcement actions happening all over the country focuses on gang members, drug dealers, and sex offenders.

“The order describes a criminal offense, which will typically mean anything from a misdemeanor to a felony … Our emphasis is deporting and removing criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety,” Miller said.

Speaking to reporters Friday night, ICE Enforcement and Removals (ERO) LA Field Office Director David Marin said about 75 per cent of those arrested in Los Angeles had felony convictions and had no connection to the Trump order.

“This operation that we conducted is on par with similar operations that were done in the past,” said Marin.

Trump issued an executive order last month to crack down on the estimated 11 million immigrants living in America illegally.