By Chinedu Offor, Correspondent, Washington DC

Hundreds of Nigerians have been arrested by American Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as the administration intensifies its hunt for illegal immigrants on its soil.


The crackdown is codenamed Operation Return to Sender.

Daniel Monico, a deportation officer, said the raids are not targeted at Nigerians, but anyone staying illegally in the U.S.

"This sends a message," said Monico, "when we deport you, we’re serious.

" The operation has caught more than 2,000 illegal immigrants, including more than 720 arrests in California alone". Immigrant officials said more than 800 people arrested are Nigerians and have been deported.

"This is a massive operation," said Marc Raimondi, a spokesman for immigration enforcement or ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security. "We are watching the country's borders from the inside."

In New England, officials said the sweeps have caught more than 150, including 75 who had come back after being deported.

ICE has a network of 35 fugitive teams across the country. The 2006 budget increased that number to 52, and the Bush administration is pushing for 70 by 2007.

The challenge, agents said, is staggering. There are more than 500,000 "fugitive aliens" who have been deported by judges and have either slipped back into the country or never left.

There is often a disconnect between local and state prisons and the U.S. government allows illegal immigrants to serve time and be released without being transferred to federal officials for deportation.

The work that led to the series of arrests over the past 20 days began last winter.

Agents in Boston, for example, began scouting targets four months ago, conducting street surveillance and following up leads from confidential informants.

"It's a lot of preparation, and it's a lot of patience," said Jim Martin, deputy director for ICE's New England field office.

"All for a couple minutes of adrenaline."

During the latest raids, the federal squad, which includes a Boston police sergeant detective, wore bulging bulletproof vests and stiff Kevlar gloves to protect their hands from needles, knives and rusty fences.

Badges dangled on chains around their necks as they passed around wanted posters and shined flashlights on the face of a 24-year-old Nigerian man, Lasisi Hammed, who had served prison time for assaulting a police officer.

The team moved in the dark, climbing fences and hiding behind parked cars to encircle a three-storey house in Boston's Allston-Brighton neighborhood.

All at once they emerged from the shadows.

Half dozen agents filled the front porch, their knocks on the door echoing down the block. The target had moved, the agents learned, and a team split off and caught him in Weymouth, about 15 miles south of the city.

Another man caught in the recent blitz was another Nigerian gang member, who was convicted in a stabbing incident that left a 13-year-old boy paralysed. Agents caught him working at Budget Rental Car at Boston's Logan Airport.

"The problems with immigration aren't going to be solved overnight," Raimondi said as the team sped towards another raid.

"You start chipping away at it. The more teams we get up and running, the more dangerous people we are going to get off the streets", he added.

__________________
MY WEBSITE:
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The Voice Magazine:
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Attuated towards African develpoment.

It's better not to Rise!, than to Rise!! and fall.
When a liar beats his drum for the fall of the innocent, the truth will stop it from sounding.
Nigeria is full of graduate of the Leader's of political school of the more you look, the less you understand.

this one pass be careful, abeg those working with one leg you better watch out, before it's too late.

__________________
MY WEBSITE:
http://www.obude.com

The Voice Magazine:
http://www.thevoice.nl
Attuated towards African develpoment.

It's better not to Rise!, than to Rise!! and fall.
When a liar beats his drum for the fall of the innocent, the truth will stop it from sounding.
Nigeria is full of graduate of the Leader's of political school of the more you look, the less you understand.

Deportation from paradise back to hell.The white gods are doing house cleaning......
"Operation Back to sender"!!Lol!

__________________
DS ON YOUTUBE.


The Ultimate
We Are Part And Parcel Of Everything
We Are The Cosmos
We Are Life
We Are Love
We Are All That Is
We Are The Creator Of The Dance,As Well As The Dancer

na so we see am oooooohhhhh!!!!!, i pity my poeple.

__________________
MY WEBSITE:
http://www.obude.com

The Voice Magazine:
http://www.thevoice.nl
Attuated towards African develpoment.

It's better not to Rise!, than to Rise!! and fall.
When a liar beats his drum for the fall of the innocent, the truth will stop it from sounding.
Nigeria is full of graduate of the Leader's of political school of the more you look, the less you understand.

Isn't it time? 800 pere?

__________________

LIFE IS WORSHIP
WORSHIP EXPERIENCE IS NOT ABOUT HOW YOU FEEL, BUT HOW WHOM YOU WORSHIP FEELS ABOUT YOU.
GOD CREATE IN ME A HEART TO FEAR SIN AND EVERY UNHOLY THINGS, SO I MAY LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY FOR YOU.

bush is a useless president. The worse i've seen so far

Hmmmmmm, wonder why Paj is not among those deported.

__________________
"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

When did this take place and I wonder why it is not all around town.

Because 419ers and News- carriers like Paj are all in hiding as we speak.

__________________
"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

u need to be spanked brother dear...how you dey? long time.

They are really at work. I went to a neighbourhood on Buford highway in. AtL I was surprise the sreet was almost empty on a sat afternoon This is the area we shop for foreign things you can not find in the groccery store.

I'm fine sis. I've been busy lately.
What about you?

__________________
"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".

I was just in CA. Thank God dem no cash me.
I see wanted posters for Pa J sha...

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ibon!!!!

__________________


RIP Pastor Ify Irukwu ....

I'm looking forward to experiencing some Unspeakable Joy!

I knew it. I was right after all.

__________________
"The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence."

"A river does not run through a forest without bringing down trees".