Federal officials announced that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detained more than 650 people living in the United States illegally during a coordinated two-week enforcement operation across West Virginia, Fox News reports. Conducted from January 5 to January 19, the initiative involved collaboration among 14 federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Authorities reported that the operation concluded without protests or major incidents.
ICE teams were deployed to several locations, including Charleston, Martinsburg, Beckley, Moorefield, Morgantown, and Huntington. According to the agency, those taken into custody included individuals considered threats to public safety or national security, as well as others who had entered the country unlawfully.
“This operation demonstrates how strong partnerships between ICE and West Virginia law enforcement agencies enhance public safety and the integrity of our immigration system,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Philadelphia acting Field Office Director Michael Rose said, according to the outlet. “By training and supporting our… partners across the state, we’ve expanded local capacity to identify, arrest and process illegal aliens while ensuring these authorities are exercised professionally and consistent with the law.”
Among those arrested during “Operation ICE Wall” was Sagar Singh, a citizen of India, who was stopped on January 8 after failing to stop at a required brake inspection station while operating a commercial truck. Authorities cited him for multiple traffic violations, including operating an unsafe vehicle. ICE reported that Singh had previously been ordered to leave the United States. He was one of more than 25 individuals detained under a targeted initiative focusing on unauthorized commercial drivers.
Another individual taken into custody was Ling Yan, also known as Yang Ning, a Chinese national previously convicted in Ohio on two counts of child endangerment. Additional arrests included a convicted child sex offender, an individual with drug-related convictions, and several others with criminal histories.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, one of the local agencies that partnered in the operation, praised ICE’s professionalism. “The Sheriff’s Office was impressed with the professionalism and work ethic of the agents and how well they interacted with the citizens and local law enforcement officers,” said Sheriff Tom Hansen. “Working with such a high-caliber group of agents who were assigned to Jefferson County made the decision to support the initiative worthwhile.”