US arrests hundreds in immigration raids

The government of US President Donald Trump says it has arrested hundreds of people in its immigration raids, claiming that most of them are convicted felons.

US Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said Monday that out of the more than 680 people arrested, around 75 percent have criminal records, ranging from homicide to drunk driving.

The arrests were carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, which had endorsed Trump during the presidential campaign.

“The focus of these targeted enforcement operations is consistent with the routine, targeted arrests carried out by ICE’s Fugitive Operations Teams on a daily basis,” said Gillian Christensen, acting press secretary for the department.

According to ICE, some of the detained immigrants had ignored deportation ultimatums. The rest were arrested because of illegal residence.

One official told The New York Times that the arrests were planned around individuals’ routines.

It was not clear if the operation was a continuation of former President Barack Obama’s anti-immigration measures or an escalation under Trump’s order.

The Obama administration actively sought to deport immigrants. The efforts peaked in 2012, when 409,849 people were sent back to their countries. In 2015, ICE announced the arrests of more than 2,000 people nationwide in one week, based on their criminal record.

The immigration raids continued under Obama throughout his last summer in office.

Before his January 20 inauguration, Trump promised to deport 2 million to 3 million migrants with criminal records after taking office.

After being sworn in, Trump took several controversial steps against immigration by ordering a wall on the border with Mexico and authorizing a crackdown on US cities that shield illegal immigrants.

Most recently, the Manhattan billionaire also ordered an entry ban against people coming from seven Muslim countries. The ban was halted after a federal court’s ruling.

During a joint news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, the new Republican president said that his administration was doing "a great job" on curbing immigration.

“We're actually taking people that are criminals, very, very, hardened criminals in some cases with a tremendous track record of abuse and problems,” Trump said.

The widespread arrests alarmed immigration rights advocates, who accuse federal officials of indiscriminately arresting and deporting migrants without considering their threat level or family ties in America.

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