Crackdown on illegal immigrants in US: Indians among over 100 people detained

Indians are among the more than 100 people who have been detained by the US border patrol and immigration officials in a crackdown on illegal immigrants living and entering the country.

However, the exact number of Indians who were arrested have not been revealed.

About 45 people were arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in the Houston area for violating US immigration laws during a five-day enforcement action, reported news agency Press Trust of India.

The individuals who were arrested include nations from Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, Cuba, Nigeria, India, Chile and Turkey, ICE said in a statement cited by PTI.

Some individuals who were arrested during the operation will face federal prosecution for illegal entry and some will be detained in ICE custody and processed for removal from the US.

In a separate action last week, US Border Patrol agents discovered 78 illegal aliens inside a locked refrigerated trailer at a checkpoint in Texas. The illegal people belonged to countries including Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil, Ecuador, India and the Dominican Republic.

"These criminal organizations continue to use tractor trailers and view these individuals as mere commodities without regard for their safety,” Laredo Sector, Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens, was quoted as saying by PTI.

"The blatant disregard for human life will not be tolerated. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle these organizations and prosecute those responsible," said Owens.

In June, nearly 100 Indians were detained at two immigration detention centres for illegally entering the US through its southern border. Most of the detainees at the federal facilities were asking for asylum claiming they faced violence or persecution in their home country.