Under an “enhanced targeted enforcement operation” running from March 10 to March 14, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained 81 people accused of being in the United States unlawfully across Kentucky.
25 of the people arrested, according to ICE, have been charged with several criminal charges, including illegal reentry, possession of guns, and possession of prohibited narcotics. The 56 people left will stay in ICE detention until removal processes start.
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According to an ICE press release, notable arrests from the 81 individuals in Kentucky include:
- A 35-year-old Honduran citizen accused of possessing an illegal alien’s gun by illegal reentry.
- A fifty-year-old Mexican citizen, accused of possessing a gun by an illegal alien.
- A 30-year-old citizen of Mexico charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in facilitation of narcotics trafficking, and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
- 45-year-old Guatemalan national convicted of DUI, public intoxication, driving without a license, and domestic violence.
- A 44-year-old Indian citizen was found guilty of violence, intimidation, and sexual misconduct with a minor.
- A 28-year-old citizen of Mexico charged with possession of a handgun by an illegal alien.
- Previously found guilty of drug trafficking and possession of many firearms with machine-gun-conversion equipment, a 32-year-old Mexican citizen is accused of possessing a gun by an illegal alien and unlawful reentry.
The operation was coordinated by Homeland Security Investigations in Nashville and an ICE office in Chicago. It involved many federal agencies, including the FBI Louisville Field Office, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Louisville Field Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Louisville Field Division.
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“Public safety relies on the expertise of ICE officers who are able to coordinate across federal agencies to accomplish these arrests,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Chicago Field Office Director Sam Olson. “Our agency is more than capable of meeting these challenges. I’m grateful for all our federal partners here in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and we are dedicated, as a united group, to removing those from our communities who represent a threat to public safety and national security.”
The Trump administration has increased its efforts to remove immigrants from the US, claiming statutes such as the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which authorizes the president to imprison or deport aliens during wartime. This statute was most infamously utilized to arrest Japanese Americans during World War II.
Those who were detained by ICE and accused by the US government of criminal charges will be transferred to federal custody for prosecution, while others will stay in ICE detention until further immigration proceedings. Most ICE prisoners in Kentucky are detained at the Boone County Detention Center, where they await hearings to decide whether they will be allowed bond as their cases advance through the immigration system.
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This article appears in Mar 14-27, 2025.