Federal authorities representing districts along the southern border of the U.S. charged more than 840 illegal immigrants with immigration-related crimes in just the third week of March as part of Operation Take Back America.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Monday that it is playing an important role in the operation, which is a statewide effort to combat illegal immigration while simultaneously eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protecting communities from violent criminals.
Attorneys in Arizona, Texas, California, and New Mexico charged over 840 people with breaching immigration rules.
Attorneys in Arizona charged 217 defendants with immigration violations. The United States filed 91 cases concerning illegal re-entry and charged 103 people with illegal entry.
The United States has also filed 15 cases against 23 people accused of transporting illegal immigrants into the country via Arizona.
U.S. attorneys in Central California brought charges against 17 people accused of illegally reentering the country after being removed; several of them had previously been convicted of serious crimes, including violence.
According to the DOJ, one defendant faces additional charges of murder, while another was arrested on allegations of assault with intent to rape.
If an illegal immigrant returns to the United States after being deported, they could face up to two years in federal prison; however, if they are convicted of a felony and return, they could face 10 to 20 years in federal prison.
According to the DOJ, the Southern District of California filed over 90 border-related cases, including carrying illegal aliens into the United States, bringing immigrants into the United States for financial benefit, re-entering the United States after being deported, and importing controlled narcotics.
In New Mexico, 46 people were charged with reentering the United States, four with alien smuggling, and 27 with illegal entrance.
Texas had the most charges brought against illegal aliens, with 246 in the Southern District and 210 in the Western District of Texas.
“We are grateful for the hard work of our border prosecutors in bringing these cases and helping to make our border safe again,” the Attorney General’s office said.
As part of Operation Take Back America in Kentucky, 81 illegal aliens were detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other federal law enforcement officials last week.
ICE and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are on the verge of negotiating an agreement that would provide ICE access to taxpayer information to locate illegal immigrants who are facing deportation.
According to the Washington Post, the historic deal would allow ICE to submit the names and residences of illegal immigrants for cross-checking against IRS tax data, which is a departure from the longtime IRS policy of keeping taxpayer information completely confidential.
The report comes as President Donald Trump has stepped up the deportation drive he pledged during the campaign, aiming to use every available resource to assist immigration officers.
