US: 761 Arrested in Immigration Sweep

761 Arrested in Immigration Sweep Wednesday January 24, 2007 12:01 AM By GILLIAN FLACCUS Associated Press Writer

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) - A sleepy-eyed man with a hooded sweat shirt and a plastic lunch pail scurried back into his apartment complex at the sight of a dozen immigration agents outside. He had no reason to worry: They were after his neighbor. Three officers crept toward the building, and one banged on the door of Apt. A. After a tense minute in the darkness before dawn, the door cracked open and they had their first arrest - a 29-year-old immigrant with a driving-under-the-influence conviction. It was a scene repeated across Southern California over the past week in what officials said was one of the biggest sweeps in U.S. history of illegal immigrants who have criminal records or have ignored deportation orders.

By Tuesday, when federal officials announced the results of the sweep, 761 illegal immigrants have been taken into custody: 338 at their homes in five Los Angeles-area counties, and 423 at county jails, said Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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