The roundup resulted in the arrests of 30 men and nine women wanted for human-rights violations, the agency said. They were arrested in a sweep that took place from Aug. 27 and 29.
The operation was carried out under the agency's National Fugitive Operations Program in coordination with the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center. In addition to Newark and New York, field offices in Atlanta, Baltimore, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City and San Francisco took part in the sweep.
The "No Safe Haven" operation targeted people wanted for human rights violations in their home countries. Many of the violators have also been convicted in the United States of crimes ranging from domestic violence, driving under the influence, robbery, fraud and theft.
“ICE will not allow war criminals and human rights abusers to use the U.S. as a safe haven,” said Acting Director Matthew Albence. “We will never stop looking for them and we will never cease seeking justice for the victims of their crimes.”
Those arrested across the country included:
Fourteen individuals from Central America implicated in numerous human rights violations against civilians, to include the capture, arrest and/or transport of civilians who were subsequently mistreated, and in some cases, beaten, electrocuted, and killed;
Four known or suspected human rights violators from China, complicit in collaborating with the government to assist in forced abortions and sterilizations against victims;
Four individuals from West Africa connected to a range of atrocities, including civilian massacres, mutilations, recruitment of child soldiers, extrajudicial killings, and other human rights violations.
An individual from Europe implicated in human rights abuses against political opponents through work with a security agency.
The names of those arrested were not immediately available.
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