On August 31, 2010, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) returned 96 immigration violators to the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan and Cambodia in a chartered flight that originated from Seattle.  The group included 79 males and 17 females who had been held in ICE custody at various detention facilities across the U.S. before being transported to the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington.  According to ICE, 66 of the individuals who were returned had committed criminal offenses in the U.S., including homicide, felony drug trafficking and possession, rape and other sex crimes, aggravated assault, weapons possession, grand theft, and burglary.

According to ICE Director John Morton,”this year, ICE expects to remove a record number of criminal aliens from the country and charter flights like this are a big part of making that happen.”

For the full text of this story, visit:  http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1009/100903washingtondc2.htm