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SALT LAKE CITY — Federal agents arrested 54 people in Utah identified as criminal illegal immigrants as part of a nationwide raid last week.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 3,168 people in the six-day operation known as Cross Check. People were taken into custody in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and three U.S. territories.
"These subjects aren't only here illegally in the United States, on top of that, they've been convicted of a crime," said Steven Branch, the Utah field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"Those are our priorities," said Branch. "Those are the ones we have to target with our limited resources."
108 were arrested in the four-state region that includes Nevada, Idaho and Montana.
ICE calls it one of the largest immigration raids in U.S. History. ICE agents fanned out in raids and busted criminal aliens in every state.
"It's a big dent," said Branch. "What we're doing is removing the criminal element out of the communities."
In Utah, Salt Lake County accounted for the most arrests with 36, followed by seven in Utah County, five in Weber County, four in Davis County, and one each in Box Elder and Summit counties.
ICE won't release names, but says around 80% had prior convictions for serious crimes.
Among those arrested in Utah were:
• A 51-year-old Mexican national in West Valley City with an outstanding deportation order who was convicted of attempted sexual abuse of a child in October 2004.
• A 33-year-old Cambodian national in West Valley City with an outstanding deportation order whose past convictions include carrying a concealed weapon, aggravated assault and theft.
Of those arrested nationally, 2,834 have prior criminal convictions, leaving about 300 who apparently have not been convicted of a crime.
A total of 1,477 have felony convictions including murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, terroristic threats, drug trafficking, child abuse, battery on a child, sexual crimes against minors, and aggravated assault. There were 50 documented gang members and 149 convicted sex offenders, according to ICE.
ICE conducted its first Cross Check operation in December 2009, and has since conducted seven regional and two national raids, resulting in more than 7,400 arrests.
"We've got to keep our communities safe," said the Utah ICE director. "These people prey on everybody, and by identifying these people, taking action, and not only arresting them, but removing them, a lot of future crimes have been prevented."
One-third of those arrested in our four-state region had been previously deported, and came back into the U.S. Illegally. That's one of the biggest problems for ICE.
"We're not targeting any particular nationality or group of aliens," said Branch. "The only people we are targeting are criminal aliens, regardless of what country they're from."
Now, the majority will be deported. Others will be prosecuted federally, especially those that have returned after a violent crime.
