15 arrested in immigration sweep had status under Obama action

WASHINGTON – Federal agents in a sweep targeting the most dangerous criminal immigrants arrested 15 people who have been allowed to remain in the U.S. under President Barack Obama’s executive action intended to protect children who came to the U.S. years ago with their parents, the Associated Press has learned.

Fourteen of the 15 had been convicted of a crime, a U.S. official briefed on the arrests said. In at least one case, the Obama administration renewed the protective status for a young immigrant after that person’s conviction in a drug case. One of the eligibility requirements for the program is that immigrants not have a criminal history. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because this person was not authorized to discuss the matter by name.

It was not immediately clear when 13 of the immigrants were convicted or what their crimes were. They were arrested by U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The answers to those questions could undermine the integrity of the government’s program, since eligibility is reserved for ambitious, young immigrants enrolled in school or who graduated and who would benefit American society.

None of the names of the immigrants was disclosed. One of the young immigrants arrested hadn’t been convicted of a crime, but was arrested after being found armed with a gun, the official said.

Under the program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, more than 675,000 young immigrants since August 2012 have been granted a work permit and reprieve from deportation.

“With few fraud detection measures and effective background checks in place, it’s no surprise that ICE arrested over a dozen DACA recipients last week, most of whom had already been convicted of a crime,” said House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte. “I and other members of the House Judiciary Committee have expressed concern about this for years.”

Goodlatte, R-Va., and other Republicans have long decried Obama’s executive immigration as a form of backdoor amnesty that circumvents Congress.

ICE did not respond to queries about the arrests from the Associated Press.

The sweep also captured five immigrants with protective applications pending and 19 others who had already been denied protection from deportation under the program.

Earlier this week ICE Director Sarah Saldana said the operation focused on “the worst of the worst criminals.”

“This was a targeted enforcement operation, aimed specifically at enhancing public safety,” Saldana said. “It exemplifies our core mission, by taking dangerous criminals off the streets and removing them from the country we are addressing a very significant security and public safety vulnerability.”

ICE agents arrested 2,059 convicted immigrants, including more than 1,000 people who had multiple convictions. More than 98 percent of those arrested in the weeklong operation were a top priority, Saldana said.