Operation ‘Pick-Off’ in Texas Leads to 78 Immigrant Arrests

Operation Pick-Off, a multi-agency initiative in Texas, has led to the arrests of 78 immigrants for "immigration-related violations" in the Texas Rio Grande Valley over the weekend.

Operation Pick-Off Leads to More Immigrant Arrests in Texas

According to a report from KATV, some of the immigrants had already been charged previously with other state crimes, such as human smuggling, fraud, burglary, and assault. 65 of the alleged immigrants arrested were deported. If they entered the United States illegally after being deported, they could face up to 20 years in a federal prison. 11 more immigrants arrested are scheduled to be deported immediately. Two of the immigrants were on probation for violation of misdemeanor warrants for avoiding inspections by immigration officers.

Operation Pick-Off is a Multi-Led Agency Operation in Texas

Operation Pick-Off began on August 22 with a collaboration of law enforcement officials and agencies, state and local police, the FBI, DEA, Border Patrol, IRS Criminal Investigation, Customs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The mission of the operation is a commitment to securing our borders and upholding the law through multi-agency operations.

In a press release, U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei issued a statement that said, "This is what Operation Take Back America looks like."