Elderly Jamaican man with shady record among detainees in US crackdown

A 65-year-old Jamaican man with prior convictions is among 73 individuals who were arrested during a two-state operation targeting criminals and other immigration violators in Michigan and Ohio in the United States.

The elderly Jamaican had convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana, receiving stolen property and obstruction.

ICE said the unidentified Jamaican was arrested in Toledo, Ohio, and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency says officers from its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested several Caribbean nationals among the 73 individuals during the operation which lasted for four days up to Thursday. Some 70 of the detainees had prior convictions, while three were listed as recent immigration violators.

ICE said the Caribbean immigrants were from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Guyana and Belize.

The other immigrants arrested during the operation were citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Lebanon, Poland, Bosnia, Vietnam, South Korea, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Jordan, New Zealand, Sudan and Lithuania.

ICE said the 70 with criminal histories included convictions for drug trafficking, driving under the influence (DUI), weapons violations, child sex offences, identity theft, child abuse and other serious criminal offences.

Fifteen of those taken into custody now face US federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, ICE said.

Those who are not being criminally prosecuted will be processed administratively for deportation, ICE said.

It also said that the arrestees who have outstanding orders of deportation, or who returned to the United States illegally after being deported, are subject to immediate removal from the country.

The remaining individuals are in ICE custody awaiting a hearing before an immigration judge, or pending travel arrangements for removal in the near future, ICE said.