According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Fugitive Operations teams arrested 498 individuals from 42 countries for federal immigration violations in multiple cities across the U.S. during a four-day operation that ended Wednesday. Operation "Safe City" focused on cities and regions where ICE deportation officers are denied access to jails and prisons to interview suspected immigration violators or jurisdictions where ICE detainers are not honored.

According to the ICE database, of the 498 individuals taken into custody during this operation for immigration violations:

• 317 had criminal convictions, as noted in the chart below;
• 68 are immigration fugitives;
• 104 are previously deported criminal aliens; and
• 18 are gang members or affiliates.

Operation Safe City arrests took place in Baltimore (28), Cook County, Illinois (30), Denver (63), Los Angeles (101), New York (45), Philadelphia (107), Portland, Ore. (33), Santa Clara County, Calif (27); and Washington, D.C. (14) and the state of Massachusetts (50). http://tinyurl.com/y9h8y8aq

"We do not have a broken immigration system, we have a broken law enforcement system. In the name of public safety, the Trump administration is taking action to uphold the law," Hvidston said. "Our organization applauds the administration's Operation Safe City program, and we look forward to future immigration law enforcement efforts."