Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Thursday that they arrested more than 150 illegal immigrants in recent weeks across the United States.

ICE Operation Arrests More than 150 Illegal Immigrants, 86% Have Criminal Charges or Convictions
(Photo : Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)
Thousands In Chicago Protest Planned ICE Arrests Of Undocumented Immigrants CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 13: Protesters march to offices of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on July 13, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. The rally is calling for an end to criminalization, detention and deportation of migrants ahead of planned ICE raids expected to begin tomorrow.

It was part of an operation targeting those who do not have legal authorization to live in the country or had promised to leave, but they never did.

According to a Fox News report, the agency discovered that about 86 percent of those arrested in the "Operation Broken Promise" had criminal convictions or pending charges.

The arrested immigrants have been granted voluntary departure under a policy that allows undocumented immigrants to leave the country on their own rather than be deported. If they requested more days to stay, they could be given 60 to 120 days to leave the country.

Of the 154 arrested illegal immigrants since Nov. 2, 86 percent, or 133 of them, had criminal convictions or pending charges, as per the agency. 

Acting ICE Director Tony Pham said the federal agency takes its obligation seriously to enforce America's immigration laws. 

"Those being arrested in this targeted operation have broken their promise to the U.S. government, and we are enforcing the consequences of that dishonesty," Pham noted.

The acting director said that ICE deployed officers across the U.S. searching for undocumented immigrants who broke their promise not only to the U.S. government but also to the immigration courts. 

The agency wants to send a message to thousands of others who are still not fulfilling their promise that ICE hasn't forgotten about it and will come looking for them, as per Pham.

In October, CNN reported that ICE is planning the operation, which former agency officials raised questions about its necessity. 

John Sandweg, a former acting director of ICE under the Obama administration, said the planned operation is a waste of resources, especially that the agency targets immigration status alone and not criminal history.

Read also: More Migrant Women Allege Forced Hysterectomies by ICE Doctor

In recent weeks, federal officials have come under fire following news conferences in swing states, where they announced other regional operations results. 

The agency also rolled out a controversial set of billboards in Pennsylvania featuring faces of immigrants who had been released by so-called sanctuary jurisdictions and wanted by authorities. 

"Operation Broken Promise" comes amid the COVID-19 cases spike across the U.S. detention centers holding immigrants who have been battling in containing outbreaks of the disease.

Several ICE detainees tested positive for COVID-19 and died in government custody this year, as per BuzzFeed News.

Since the pandemic began, more than 7,000 detainees tested positive for coronavirus in agency custody. At least 400 detainees being monitored or isolated after they tested positive for the disease as of Monday.

ICE has limited at-large operations during the pandemic, but it changed the language on its website in late September, indicating that enforcement would start again as normal.

Read also: 250 Immigrants With Criminal Histories Released by ICE