ICE Fugitive Operations Teams in Maryland arrest more than 924 fugitives and immigration status violators

Arrests nearly double locally and nationally compared to the previous fiscal year

BALTIMORE, MD - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced today that deportation officers assigned to the Baltimore Office made a record number of arrests in fiscal year 2007. The Baltimore Field Office area of responsibility covers all of Maryland. In the Baltimore Field Office, there were 924 arrests made in FY 2007 - an increase from the 592 arrests made in FY 2006.

ICE established its Fugitive Operations Program in 2003 to eliminate the nation's backlog of immigration fugitives and ensure that deportation orders handed down by immigration judges are enforced. The teams prioritize cases involving immigration violators who pose a threat to national security and community safety. These include child sexual exploiters, suspected gang members and those who have convictions for any violent crimes.

In the last fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, 2007, ICE Fugitive Operations Teams arrested 30,408 individuals nationwide - up from 15,462 arrests made in FY 2006. One of the reasons for the increase in arrests is the deployment of additional teams across the country. At the end of FY 2007, ICE had 75 active teams, up from 52 teams at the end of FY2006. Two of those teams are located within the Baltimore Field Office.