A three-week collaborative law enforcement operation in Arkansas resulted in the arrest of 219 individuals for alleged illegal immigration violations, federal authorities announced Thursday.
In a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas, officials described it as “the largest collaborative police effort to enforce federal immigration laws in Arkansas’s history.”
Authorities said the individuals arrested were from 23 different countries and had prior encounters with law enforcement, including convictions for crimes such as battery, aggravated assault, robbery, drug possession and distribution, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Enforce and Remove,” involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) working alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), U.S. Marshals Service, Arkansas State Police, and all 19 Arkansas Judicial Drug Task Forces.
U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Ross for the Eastern District of Arkansas and Clay Fowlkes for the Western District of Arkansas released details of the operation, which began Feb. 5.
Authorities said the individuals arrested were from 23 different countries and had prior encounters with law enforcement, including convictions for crimes such as battery, aggravated assault, robbery, drug possession and distribution, domestic violence, and sexual assault.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s offices, 127 individuals were processed through the ICE Enforcement and Removal office in Little Rock, 57 in Fayetteville, 23 in Fort Smith, and 17 in Texarkana.
The operation followed President Donald Trump’s executive orders on immigration enforcement and a subsequent Department of Justice memo directing agencies to prioritize immigration-related investigations.
Since Jan. 21, when the executive orders were issued, 375 individuals have been arrested for alleged illegal immigration violations in Arkansas, officials said.
In addition to the immigration arrests, the operation resulted in 253 drug-related arrests, the seizure of 43 firearms, and nearly 15,000 pounds of illegal drugs. Seized drugs included 225 pounds of methamphetamine, 65 pounds of cocaine, 14,542 pounds of marijuana, and 2,681 fentanyl pills and 90 grams of fentanyl powder. Authorities estimated the street value of the seized drugs in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Officials said the drug investigations involved highway interdiction, controlled narcotics purchases, and search warrants.
“Our commitment to safeguarding communities in western Arkansas remains steadfast as we implement increased immigration enforcement efforts,” said U.S. Attorney Fowlkes.
U.S. Attorney Ross stated that the operation was designed to combat “cartels and other transnational criminal organizations,” “violent crime by members of these organizations and illegal aliens,” and the “fentanyl crisis and opioid epidemic.”
Authorities said the 472 total arrests were the culmination of the first of several planned collaborative enforcement efforts.
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