NEWARK, NJ – In late December, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehended a criminal illegal alien from Mexico with several prior criminal convictions out of New Jersey going back nearly two decades, including a conviction of child cruelty.
On December 28th, officers from ICE Newark’s field office launched a targeted enforcement operation where they took into custody Efren Cortez-Velez, whose criminal history out of New Jersey dating back to 2007 consisted of several convictions.
According to the agency, Cortez-Velez was first arrested by the Passaic Police Department in March of 2007 for resisting arrest and criminal trespass, later pleading guilty to the aforementioned charges that October, which resulted in a $377 fine at the time.
On Christmas Day in 2007, Cortez-Velez was arrested again under suspicion of child endangerment.
In April of 2008, Cortez-Velez pleaded guilty to abuse, abandonment, cruelty, and neglect in connection with the December 2007 arrest, which saw him spending 6 months in prison. Despite his numerous arrests and past convictions, Cortez-Velez remained in the United States until his arrest in late December.
In a statement regarding Cortez-Velez’s arrest, ICE Director Todd Lyons cited the “constant rhetoric” coming from media and political personalities who’ve framed the agency as doing something “wrong” for carrying out their duty to apprehend and remove criminal illegal aliens like Cortez-Velez.
“Despite the constant rhetoric from politicians, activists, and the media claiming that ICE is somehow wrong for doing its mandated mission, the reality is that we’re out there arresting people like Efren Cortez-Velez,” Director Lyons stated, adding, “A criminal who entered this country illegally and was convicted of victimizing a vulnerable child.”
The agency director further emphasized the increased risks officers and agents are facing in the current political climate, stating, “ICE officers and agents are facing a 1,347% increase in assaults, and they’re receiving 8,000% more death threats than they did compared to this time last year, but they’re still showing up every day to take the worst of the worst out of our communities and make America safe again.”
On December 28th, officers from ICE Newark’s field office launched a targeted enforcement operation where they took into custody Efren Cortez-Velez, whose criminal history out of New Jersey dating back to 2007 consisted of several convictions.
According to the agency, Cortez-Velez was first arrested by the Passaic Police Department in March of 2007 for resisting arrest and criminal trespass, later pleading guilty to the aforementioned charges that October, which resulted in a $377 fine at the time.
On Christmas Day in 2007, Cortez-Velez was arrested again under suspicion of child endangerment.
In April of 2008, Cortez-Velez pleaded guilty to abuse, abandonment, cruelty, and neglect in connection with the December 2007 arrest, which saw him spending 6 months in prison. Despite his numerous arrests and past convictions, Cortez-Velez remained in the United States until his arrest in late December.
In a statement regarding Cortez-Velez’s arrest, ICE Director Todd Lyons cited the “constant rhetoric” coming from media and political personalities who’ve framed the agency as doing something “wrong” for carrying out their duty to apprehend and remove criminal illegal aliens like Cortez-Velez.
“Despite the constant rhetoric from politicians, activists, and the media claiming that ICE is somehow wrong for doing its mandated mission, the reality is that we’re out there arresting people like Efren Cortez-Velez,” Director Lyons stated, adding, “A criminal who entered this country illegally and was convicted of victimizing a vulnerable child.”
The agency director further emphasized the increased risks officers and agents are facing in the current political climate, stating, “ICE officers and agents are facing a 1,347% increase in assaults, and they’re receiving 8,000% more death threats than they did compared to this time last year, but they’re still showing up every day to take the worst of the worst out of our communities and make America safe again.”
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