ICE arrests 87 foreign nationals in Nevada enforcement operation

Federal immigration officers apprehended 65 foreign nationals in and around Las Vegas last week, including convicted drug traffickers and known street gang members.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation yielded an additional 22 arrests in Reno, the agency said Monday.

Those arrested included 20 people with prior felony convictions and two documented members of violent street gangs. Their criminal histories included past convictions for drug trafficking, weapons violations, child sex offenses, and domestic violence.

Four of those taken into custody now face federal prosecution for re-entering the U.S. after deportation, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, the agency said.

The people arrested in the operation came from nine different countries, including one or two each from Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Philippines, Cuba, Taiwan and Vietnam. The majority of the detainees, 65 in total, were from Mexico, and 10 of those arrested are from Honduras.

According to the agency, those arrested in the Las Vegas area included:

• A previously deported 55-year-old Mexican national with a prior felony conviction for transporting and selling heroin
• A 57-year-old Mexican national convicted of lewdness with a child under 14 that resulted in a four to 10-year sentence in state prison
• A 42-year-old Salvadoran national with multiple prior felony convictions, including one for statutory sexual seduction.

Those who are not being criminally prosecuted will be processed administratively for removal from the U.S.

Foreign nationals with outstanding orders of deportation or who came back to the country illegally will be removed from the country immediately. The remaining individuals are in custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge.

Contact Wesley Juhl at wjuhl@reviewjournal.com and 702-383-0391. Find @WesJuhl on Twitter.