Immigration sweep nets 37 in Minnesota

Thirty-seven people were arrested in Minnesota as part of a nation-wide immigration sweep that ended last week.

Operation Cross Check targets criminals who are in the country illegally, said Shawn Neudauer, regional spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The effort netted more than 2,900 criminals nationally.

"In Minnesota, we arrested 37 people, majority of which were from the Twin Cities area.," Neudauer said.

This year, ICE has deported 5,300 people from a five-state region that includes Minnesota. ICE reports 56 percent of those people have criminal convictions.

"The range of crimes would have been level 1 through level 3 criminal offenders," Neudauer said. "That can cover anything from felony to misdemeanor. These are people who are convicted of crimes yet who have not had immigration action."

Of those arrested in Minnesota, 17 were arrested in Minneapolis, seven in Rosemount, three in Austin, and two in St. Paul. There were also arrests of one person in each of the communities of Andover, Faribault, Lakeville, Monticello, Northfield, Owatonna, Red Wing and Shakopee.

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