ICE agents, federal officials arrest over 200 immigrants in Arkansas
Authorities announced that they arrested over 450 people in a joint operation targeting "illegal" immigrants and suspected drug criminals across Arkansas.
Author: Chris Banks (KTHV), Brooke Buckner
Published: 4:07 PM CST February 27, 2025
Updated: 7:33 PM CST February 27, 2025
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — On Thursday, federal law enforcement and local Arkansas law enforcement announced the completion of a joint operation that resulted in the arrest of 472 total people.
The arrests across Arkansas were comprised of two categories: the first was who authorities described as 219 "illegal immigrants" and the second was 253 suspected drug criminals in the state.
Authorities claimed that the arrested immigrants came to Arkansas "illegally" and said that the immigrants were from 23 different countries.
In a provided press release by the US Department of Justice, authorities referred to this joint operation as "the largest collaborative police effort to enforce federal immigration laws in Arkansas’s history."
The operation, which started on Feb. 5, 2025, and has been named "Operation Enforce and Remove," was conducted over a 3-week span through the collaboration of multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies.
"Operation Enforce and Remove" involved each federal law enforcement agency operating in Arkansas. Additionally, Arkansas State Police and all 19 Arkansas Judicial Drug Task Forces were also part of the operation.
Officials say the immigrants came from 23 different countries and some of the crimes included sexual assault, illegal firearm possession, running an illegal casino, battery, robbery, and more. However, officials did not elaborate on how many of the 219 people arrested committed crimes or were being detained solely for crossing the border "illegally."
Officials at Thursday's press conference said that the efforts exhibited by these responding law enforcement agencies were done for "immigration enforcement." The operation also resulted in the seizure of 15,000 pounds of drugs and 43 guns, according to officials.
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https://www.thv11.com/article/news/crime/ice-agents-federal-officials-arrest-over-200-immigrants-in-arkansas/91-45e89c7d-d9f8-4785-8ac7-009591edc9d7