Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) celebrated the arrests of five illegal migrants with serious criminal backgrounds across Maryland’s sanctuary cities during a single-day operation in October. The crackdown targeted individuals involved in crimes ranging from gang activity and drug distribution to sexual assault, according to an ICE press release.

“This targeted operation resulted in the arrest of five noncitizens with serious criminal histories including fentanyl distribution, gang activity, drug cartel association, assault, and sexual assault,” said Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Baltimore Field Office Director Matthew Elliston. “ERO Baltimore will not tolerate these egregious noncitizen offenders victimizing our Maryland communities.”

The arrests took place in areas like Montgomery County, Howard County, and Baltimore County—designated as “sanctuary jurisdictions” for their policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. These policies have been criticized for hampering ICE’s ability to detain and remove criminal migrants, reports the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Baltimore field agents have recently achieved significant successes despite these limitations. In the 2024 fiscal year, the Baltimore ICE office set a record by arresting 161 non-citizen sex offenders, surpassing its previous high of 152 in a single year.

ICE operations are expected to intensify under President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to initiate the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. Trump has indicated that he plans to declare a national emergency and deploy military assets to assist in mass deportations, focusing on individuals with criminal records.

The individuals apprehended include: a 24-year-old Guatemalan national and documented gang member, convicted of second-degree assault in Montgomery County, a 38-year-old Honduran national arrested in Howard County for DUI and driving with a handgun, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national convicted of intent to distribute fentanyl, a 41-year-old Salvadoran national previously deported and later convicted of second-degree assault in Baltimore County, an 18-year-old Trinidadian national who violated his visa terms and was convicted of robbery in Baltimore City.