Federal immigration agents conducted enforcement operations in West El Paso on Thursday, though officials provided few details.
An ICE spokesperson told El Paso Matters the agency led the operation, but that it included multiple federal agencies in a “whole of government” approach. The spokesperson provided few details Thursday evening, other than to say the operation took place somewhere in West El Paso.
The El Paso FBI office sent media photos and video from immigration enforcement operations conducted Thursday. One of the photos shows federal agents at an AutoZone store in Canutillo, in western El Paso County. Several photos showed activity at residences.
An FBI spokesperson said its agents were supporting an operation led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Enforcement and Removal Operations unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Federal agents didn’t provide information on the number of apprehensions, or who was targeted in the operation.
Federal immigration organizations have been conducting high profile operations across the county since President Donald Trump was inaugurated Jan. 20. ICE enforcement actions have been commonplace throughout all recent presidential administrations, but the Trump administration has publicized recent actions.
The Trump administration also directed the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies to provide support to ICE and other immigration enforcement agencies during the operation.
The photos from the FBI indicate the operations began before dawn. The FBI didn’t provide information on where the photos were taken. It was the first immigration enforcement action reported by federal agencies in El Paso since the Trump inauguration.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The post ICE, other federal agents conduct immigration enforcement operation in West El Paso Thursday appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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