ICE RAIDS NET GANG MEMBERS 29 FOREIGN NATIONALS CAUGHT IN LARGEST VALLEY OPERATION.Byline: RICK COCA and RACHEL URANGA Staff Writers In the largest operation of its kind in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. , 240 federal agents on Friday rounded up 29 foreign nationals belonging to more than a dozen gangs that prey on the immigrant community, officials said. The early morning raids by Immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. and Customs Enforcement agents in the Valley and surrounding communities were part of the agency's Operation Community Shield, a nationwide crackdown on transnational criminals. In a similar series of raids last month, ICE arrested nine foreign-born members of the Langdon Street gang -- operating in the North Hills area, said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . While only two of the 29 people arrested Friday face criminal charges apart from being in the country illegally, authorities said many of those detained had criminal histories. "The key thing is to recognize we're dealing with people with criminal histories," Schoch said. "They're really threatening our immigrant communities." Friday's effort, with LAPD 1. LAPD - Link Access Procedure on the D channel. 2. LAPD - Los Angeles Police Department. officers serving as off-site backup in case of trouble, targeted 90 individuals who are documented gang members living in the country illegally. Some are accused of committing spousal abuse and property crimes, while others have ignored deportation orders, Schoch said. Of the 29 arrested, one was a woman and three were "collateral arrests," or people not directly targeted in the sting. Agents said they are labeling those three as gang associates. About 25 percent of those targeted Friday are legal residents who have forfeited their right to remain in the country by committing crimes, Schoch said. The top three gangs targeted Friday -- the Vineland Boys, Barrio bar·ri·o n. pl. bar·ri·os 1. An urban district or quarter in a Spanish-speaking country. 2. A chiefly Spanish-speaking community or neighborhood in a U.S. city. Van Nuys and Canoga Park Alabama -- also yielded the most arrests. In addition to the San Fernando Valley, ICE agents made arrests elsewhere in Los Angeles and in Palmdale. They would not give a breakdown of where the 29 arrests took place and specific details of each arrest but the crackdown comes after ICE agents set up a special task force earlier this year to work with LAPD detectives and gang officers in the Valley. Agents regularly comb through Los Angeles County gang databases to identify illegal immigrants. ICE agents said while the LAPD might offer intelligence on gangs, ICE officials decide which individual offenders to go after. "The process is looking at anybody who is foreign-born and involved in gang activity," Schoch said. Drops in gang crime The LAPD has credited the efforts with drops in gang crime in areas such as the Northeast Valley. "There is a misnomer misnomer n. the wrong name. MISNOMER. The act of using a wrong name. 2. Misnomers, may be considered with regard to contracts, to devises and bequests, and to suits or actions. 3.-1. that criminals are somehow getting a pass, that their immigration status is not of interest to law enforcement. It is," said LAPD Deputy Chief Michel Moore, the Valley's highest-ranked policeman. Operation Community Shield was launched by immigration officials in February 2005. Under the program, agents have arrested more than 5,000 gang members and associates nationwide from 500 different gangs. About one-quarter of those were arrested on criminal charges. The remainder faced deportation. In Los Angeles, there have been more than 800 arrests made under Operation Community Shield, with about one-third of those criminal arrests, Schoch said. In Friday's sweep, two of the 29 will face criminal charges including Jorge Torres, 32, an alleged member of the Project Boys. Torres, who has been convicted of drug charges and assault on an officer, has been deported five times. He's facing federal charges for re- entry after deportation, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Moore said that although officers work with immigration officials, the LAPD follows Special Order 40, a policy prohibiting the police from inquiring about a witness's or suspect's immigration status. Still, immigration advocates say the relationship is too cozy. "The LAPD has to be mindful of what kind of message it's sending out," said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) is an American political advocacy organization. History Following the passage of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, representatives from Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Asian . "If they are doing high-visibility operations, in highly immigrant-populated communities and they are seen with ICE, the message that comes out is police work with immigration," Salas said. "That means for some, '(If) I talk to police, I talk to immigration.' They are alienating the people they are protecting." Enforcing laws Salas said many immigrants complain that ICE agents identify themselves as "police" when they knock on Noun 1. knock on - (rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul) rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball rugby, rugby football, rugger - a form of football played with an oval ball doors, instead of saying they are immigration agents who have the power to deport de·port tr.v. de·port·ed, de·port·ing, de·ports 1. To expel from a country. See Synonyms at banish. 2. To behave or conduct (oneself) in a given manner; comport. them. ICE officials say they're not required to identify themselves specifically unless they are serving a search warrant. There were no search warrants served in Friday's raids. The raids come amid growing pressure to enforce laws against the 12 million foreigners living illegally in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Earlier this week, immigration officials announced the arrests of 1,300 illegal immigrants in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , its largest operation targeting criminal immigrants and those who defied deportation orders. Across the country, immigration officials have been raiding homes and workplaces, including McDonald's restaurants There are more than 30,000 McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries. Restaurants The first McDonald's was not a restaurant at all, but it was a sit-in stand. The company's early franchises were built to a standard pattern that did not offer seating; this was in part to prevent and meatpacking meatpacking or meat-processing, wholesale business of buying and slaughtering animals and then processing and distributing their carcasses to retailers. The livestock industry is among the largest in the world. factories. As Congress has failed to pass comprehensive immigration reform Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy. In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of , advocates on both sides of the issue have made their presence known. Here in Los Angeles, Judicial Watch, a conservative group, sued the LAPD last year, challenging Special Order 40. In the pending lawsuit, the group maintains that the LAPD is spending taxpayer money to enforce a harmful policy. It cites a case in which officers were prevented from asking the immigration status of a Mexican national motorist who later committed two robberies and tried to rape a woman in front of her 5-year-old son. rick.coca(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3329 CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and is responsible for identifying and dismantling vulnerabilities regarding the nation's border, economic, transportation and infrastructure agents arrest a gang member suspect early Friday. (2 -- 3) A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent takes an alleged gang member to a Homeland Security Noun 1. Homeland Security - the federal department that administers all matters relating to homeland security Department of Homeland Security executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States bus early Friday at the National Guard Armory in Van Nuys. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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