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US immigration officers arrest 2,059 criminals in sweep

The sweep, called "Cross Check," started March 1 and ended March 5. It was the sixth such operation since May 2011.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers try to gain entry to an apartment, in the Bronx borough of New York, during a series of early-morning arrests, March 3, 2015. (Photo by Richard Drew/AP)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers try to gain entry to an apartment, in the Bronx borough of New York, during a series of early-morning arrests, March 3, 2015.
By Reuters, Reuters

U.S. immigration officers arrested 2,059 convicted criminal aliens in a five-day operation, the Department of Homeland Security said on Monday.

Those arrested are subject to being removed from the United States, and more than 1,000 have multiple criminal convictions, the department said in a statement.

The sweep, called "Cross Check," started March 1 and ended March 5. It was the sixth such operation since May 2011, the statement said.

More than 1,000 of those arrested were convicted of felonies, including voluntary manslaughter, child pornography, robbery, kidnapping and rape.

Those arrested include 58 known gang members or affiliates and 89 convicted sex offenders. Most of the misdemeanor convictions were for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the statement said.

The detained foreign nationals who do not face U.S. prosecution will be processed for deportation, it said, without giving a breakdown of the nationalities of those arrested.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Eric Walsh)