The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently arrested 63 at-large individuals living illegally in Wyoming and Coloradio or who are removable from the country due to their criminal histories, according to a news release on Tuesday.

About 85% of those arrested on immigration charges also had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges often related to abuse.

“During this effort we focused specifically on those who may have suffered disproportionally during the pandemic,” Denver ICE Field Director John Fabbricatore said in the news release.

“We specifically targeted our enforcement actions at abusers and helped victims by eliminating the threat posed by their perpetrators, and in some cases, preventing future victimization by recidivist offenders," Fabbricatore said.

The news release gave examples of Mexican nationals arrested in the Denver area and northern and western Colorado, but gave no examples of people arrested in Wyoming.

ICE said violators of immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States. ICE takes many factors into account when targeting and arresting individuals, including their criminal and immigration history.

“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that there are some abusive people living in our communities who should not be here," Fabbricatore said. "By focusing our efforts on these abusers, we’re doing our part to help families during this pandemic.”

ICE exercises all appropriate prosecutorial discretion when encountering the family members of arrest targets and evaluates each individual situation to determine the appropriate course of action.

ICE encourages victims of crime committed by individuals with immigration issues are encouraged to contact its Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) office if they need assistance. The office offers victims and their loved ones a point of contact to obtain information about criminal aliens in ICE custody. The information includes the ability to get automated custody status information, releasable case history about the perpetrator, or having an ICE representative explain the immigration enforcement and removal process.

The toll-free VOICE Hotline number is 1-855-48-VOICE.

In fiscal year 2019, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations arrested individuals with more than 1,900 convictions and charges for homicide, 1,800 for kidnapping, 12,000 sex offenses, 5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 assaults, 67,000 crimes involving drugs, 10,000 weapons offenses, and 74,000 DUIs, according to the news release.

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LOOK: Historical Wyoming License Plates Since 1914

LOOK: Historical Wyoming License Plates Since 1914

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