ICE arrests 280 convicted criminals — including 16 in Wichita — during ‘enforcement surge’

Federal law enforcement officials arrested 280 convicted criminals who are not U.S. citizens in six states – including Kansas – during a month-long enforcement project, authorities said.

The “enforcement surge,” which ended Saturday, was conducted by officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Enforcement and Removal Operations group, according to information released by the agency.

The project is the latest effort by ICE to prioritize “the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens.” Arrests were made in Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky and Missouri.

The 272 men and eight women arrested are from 22 countries. All of them have been convicted of crimes in the U.S. and meet ICE’s enforcement priorities for deportation, officials said. Crimes for which they were convicted include aggravated robbery, armed robbery, drug possession, burglary, aggravated drunken driving, illegal possession of a weapon by a felon, battery, hit-and-run and drug trafficking.

ICE officers arrested 35 men and one woman in Kansas. Of those arrested, 30 were from Mexico and six from Guatemala.

The majority of the Kansas arrests — 16 — were made in Wichita. Another nine were arrested in Garden City.

Arrests were also made in Cimarron, Dodge City, Liberal, Newton, Syracuse and Ulysses.

This story was originally published June 17, 2015 at 2:59 PM with the headline "ICE arrests 280 convicted criminals — including 16 in Wichita — during ‘enforcement surge’."