ICE sweeps yield few arrests

July 23, 2019

A recent wave of roundups by immigration authorities targeting undocumented families with final orders of removal — an operation actively pushed by President Trump — yielded few apprehensions.

The operation, which targeted about 2,000 families, resulted in 35 people being apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, a Department of Homeland Security official told CBS News Tuesday. Some of those apprehended were members of targeted families but had not been directly targeted themselves.

Although the results of the operation suggest it was far more limited in scope than expected, many immigrant communities across the country have still been on edge since the president threatened mass raids in June, only to later postpone them.

The recent sweeps were set to target undocumented families in an expedited docket in the immigration court system. According to ICE, these unauthorized immigrants were ordered deported by a judge for failing to appear in court and also received notification from the agency to arrange their deportation.

The threats of a large-scale deportation blitz — which president said would led to “millions” being deported — prompted advocacy groups to mount an unprecedented campaign to inform undocumented immigrants of their rights and prepare them for a potential encounter with ICE agents.

–Andy Triay contributed to this report.