ICE Arrests More Than 300 Fugitives in South Florida

MIAMI --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Monday announced the arrests of 330 fugitive aliens in one of the largest customs enforcement operations ever undertaken in South Florida.

The arrests -- made during a two-week roundup in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties that ended Friday -- targeted individuals who had been ordered to leave the country but refused to do so.

"Our message is clear: The days when illegal aliens in this nation willfully ignore immigration judges' orders are over," said Michael Rozos, director of ICE's Florida field office.

Officials said the arrests are just a small portion of the nation's backlog of immigration violators: about 597,000 total fugitives.

The numbers are so large that South Florida's enforcement teams are set to increase from five to seven.

"We take immediate action," said Rozos. "Our officers and agents are out there looking for that failure to appear (in court) that same day or the very next day, so we're not giving anybody the opportunity to hide and to go underground."

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