More than 1,000 suspects have been arrested in a three-week federal crackdown on criminal aliens, immigration fugitives and immigration violators in California, authorities said on Monday.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the enforcement "surge", which netted 1,157 arrests statewide, was the largest such operation ever carried out by its Fugitive Operations Teams in California.
Nearly a third of the people arrested locally had criminal histories, ICE said.
"The deployment of more Fugitive Operations Teams, together with enhancements in our ability to track leads in these cases, have resulted in the arrest of record numbers of immigration fugitives this year and we expect that trend to continue," said Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Julie Myers.
"Individuals who defy immigration court orders to leave the country need to understand there are consequences for willfully disregarding the law," said Myers, who oversees ICE.
"ICE is committed to enforcing these outstanding deportation orders and strengthening the integrity of our nation," he said.