The U.S. attorney for the southern district of Texas says 78 people have been arrested in an enforcement blitz in four counties around Brownsville and McAllen. "Operation Pick-Off" was conducted last weekend.
Of the 78 arrested, the U.S. attorney's office says 65 had previously been removed and were on probation for crimes including drug offenses, human smuggling, fraud, burglary and assault. Nicholas Ganjei's office says they could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
Ganjei's office says 11 others will be removed from the country, and the final two had misdemeanor warrants for avoidance of examination or inspection by immigration officers; they were also on probation for state crimes.
“For those that want to come to this country without permission and then victimize American citizens once here, we are more than happy to accommodate them with a stay at a federal facility, followed by a one-way ticket home,” Ganjei wrote in a statement. “SDTX will not rest until we’ve brought Operation Pick-Off to each and every one of the Southern District’s 43 counties. If you’re here illegally and you commit crimes in our community, you can expect a visit from us, and that visit is going to come sooner rather than later. This is what Operation Take Back America looks like.”
The FBI and Border Patrol worked with several other federal agencies during the operation.
"Today’s threats are too complex, too dangerous, and too widespread for any one agency to handle alone. That’s why the FBI joined forces with its law enforcement partners to launch a bold, coordinated strike,” Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Antonio Field Office Aaron Tapp said in a press release. “Operation Pick Off stands as proof of what that unity can achieve, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering dedication of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to protecting our southern border.”