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Immigration officers say they arrested 82 "potentially deportable criminal aliens" in a week-long push to find immigrants with criminal convictions and who are in Utah illegally.
"Our operations improve overall public safety by removing these criminals from our streets, and ultimately from our country," Daniel Bible, field office director over enforcement and removal operations by for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Salt Lake City, said in a press release.
Officers made arrests in 22 Utah cities, including 26 suspects in Salt Lake City, 17 in West Valley City, and seven in Ogden, according to a press statement Friday.
The 82 suspects hail from six different countries, though the vast majority — 74 — are from Mexico.
The suspects all had prior convictions for crimes including driving offenses such as impaired driving and hit and run, drug and weapons charges, burglary, forgery, shoplifting, assault and resisting and obstructing police officers.
Two of the suspects face new charges of re-entry after deportation. The others will remain in ICE custody pending deportation hearings and travel arrangements to their home countries.