The number of illegal immigrants arrested for deportation nationwide is up 43% over 2016, and the San Antonio Immigration and Customs Enforcement region ranks first in the total number of arrests and deportations, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
Nationwide, Immigration agents in the past fiscal year arrested more than 143,000 people. Deputy Director Tom Homan shot down the narrative that the vast number of the immigrants arrested were 'only looking for a better life.'
"92% of all aliens arrested by ICE this year had criminal convictions, were immigration fugitives, or were illegal re-entry, which means they were previously deported and re-entered the country illegally, which is a felony.
In the San Antonio ICE district, 43,000 people were arrested and deported this year."I have read a lot of stories and comments over the past several months falsely accusing ICE of conducting indiscriminate raids and sweeps," he said. "I have repeatedly said that is false."
Homan says immigrant rights groups like to claim that ICE is dragging people out of 'churches and hospitals.'
"We conduct targeted enforcement operations," he said. "Every person we target for arrest we know exactly who they are and why we are going to arrest them, based on a lot of investigative data."