Four people in Alaska were among 84 foreign nationals arrested over the weekend and on Monday as part of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in the Pacific Northwest, ICE officials announced Thursday.
The four Alaska arrests were all made in Anchorage, said ICE spokeswoman Rose Richeson.
"Those individuals targeted for immigration enforcement in Alaska had prior convictions for forgery, fraud and assault," Richeson said. They were from Western Samoa, Philippines, Laos and Mexico, she said.
She said the agency could not provide more detailed information on the individuals, including their names, despite the criminal convictions.
"It's private, protected information. … We can speak in generalities," she said.
An Alaska Department of Corrections official could not immediately confirm if the four people were in the custody of the department currently or prior to the ICE arrests.
Richeson said none of the encounters with the four foreign nationals were due to a detainment order. Law enforcement targeted and located the individuals, she said.
"It wasn't like they were being released from a jail and we coordinated with that jail to go pick them up that day. They were separate, targeted encounters," Richeson said.
The arrests were made here and in Oregon and Washington, according to ICE. The three-day operation, which ended Monday, targeted at-large "criminal aliens," people who illegally re-entered the country after prior deportations and "immigration fugitives."
[How will Trump's executive orders on immigration, refugees affect Alaska?]
The arrestees include 77 men and seven women. Most were from Mexico. Eight were from Guatemala, two were from Honduras and one each was from El Salvador, the United Kingdom, Cambodia, Brazil, Laos, the Philippines, Western Samoa, Myanmar and Russia.
Not everyone arrested has a criminal record. Under President Donald Trump, ICE was given more authority to arrest illegal aliens who have not had prior run-ins with the law.
Sixty of those arrested have criminal histories, including convictions for sex crimes, drug offenses and domestic violence, according to ICE. The agency reported 19 had criminal convictions for driving under the influence. Seven were convicted of assault, four of larceny, three of domestic violence and two of sexual assault, among other offenses.
Some of the people arrested during the operation will face federal prosecution for re-entry after deportation, a felony that carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years, according to ICE. Those not facing prosecution will be deported.
"This operation highlights our commitment to promoting public safety through the pursuit of targeted criminals residing in the U.S. illegally," said Bryan Wilcox, acting field office director for Seattle's Enforcement and Removal Operations of ICE. "Our officers will continue in their efforts to create safer communities by identifying and removing those not willing to comply with U.S. laws."