ICE Arrests 37 Criminal Immigrants In Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested 37 convicted criminals in Minnesota as part of a national roundup.

The seven-day operation comes a month after Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced that officials would focus on deporting the most serious criminal immigrants. Nationwide, 2,901 people were arrested.

Scott Baniecke, the field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Minnesota, says those arrested "are not the people we want in our communities."

In Minnesota, 17 people were arrested in Minneapolis, seven in Rosemount, three in Austin, and two in St. Paul. The communities of Andover, Faribault, Lakeville, Monticello, Northfield, Owatonna, Red Wing and Shakopee all saw one arrest each.

The Minnesota arrests include a 50-year-old man from Mexico, convicted of transporting illegal immigrants and importing drugs to distribute.

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