The Pentagon is building a 5,000-bed detention site in Texas to house illegal immigrants.
Officers from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently arrested several criminal illegal immigrants who have been convicted of drug trafficking, sex crimes, and violent assaults, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in an Aug. 7 statement.
The DHS said one individual from Cuba has been convicted of aggravated assault in Texas, and another from China was convicted of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance in Pennsylvania. Still another from El Salvador was convicted in Louisiana for โcarnal knowledge of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile,โ the department said.
โOur brave ICE law enforcement are now facing a 1000 percent increase in assaults against them as they risk their lives to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. These acts of violence are fueled by sanctuary politiciansโ rhetoric vilifying our law enforcement,โ said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
โWe will not and have not let this violence stop us or slow us down. Every day, our law enforcement continues to enforce the law and arrest the most depraved criminals, including pedophiles, terrorists, murderers, gang members, and sexual predators.โ
In sanctuary jurisdictions, officials have refused to work with authorities seeking to enforce federal immigration laws. On Aug. 5, the Department of Justice released an updated list of such jurisdictions, naming 18 cities, 12 states, and the District of Columbia.
During a June 18 operation in Bellevue, Nebraska, the DHS arrested an illegal immigrant, also a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, for having โviolently attackedโ special agents from the FBI and ICE.
With arrests of criminal illegal immigrants rising, authorities have initiated a recruitment drive. In its Aug. 7 statement, DHS called on Americans โof any ageโ to apply for a position at ICE.
Noem had announced waiving age limits for new applicants to ICE on Wednesday so that more Americans could join. ICE is offering significant benefits, such as a $50,000 signing bonus, as well as student loan forgiveness and repayment options, to the signees.