U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that U.S. Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have reached 5,000 arrests in Los Angeles since June. The arrests come as officers faced resistance from rioters and local officials opposed to the operations.
According to the department, these efforts are part of a continued campaign to remove individuals considered dangerous from American communities. “Today, DHS law enforcement made its 5,000th arrest in Los Angeles. That’s 5,000 criminal illegal aliens, gang members, child predators, and murderers taken off our streets. Precious lives saved. Families protected. American taxpayers spared the cost of their crimes AND the burden of their benefits. THANK YOU to our brave law enforcement officers. Make no mistake: if you are here illegally, we will find you, arrest you, and send you back. This is just the beginning,” said Secretary Kristi Noem.
The milestone arrest involved Gustavo Garcia-Miranda, identified by authorities as a convicted drug trafficker and aggravated felon from Mexico who first entered the United States illegally in 2008.
Secretary Noem stated that ongoing protests would not deter federal officers from carrying out their duties and warned that any assault on law enforcement would be prosecuted fully: “LA rioters would not stop DHS or slow us down. Our law enforcement will continue to enforce the law. And anyone who lays a hand on a law enforcement officer, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
