RICHMOND
State and federal law enforcement officials said Wednesday they have identified 255 sex offenders convicted in Virginia who - unbeknownst to authorities - are not American citizens.
Many were here illegally and others were legal immigrants, the officials said. Some already have left the country. Others were found serving time in Virginia jails or prisons, and still others had completed their sentences and were living in the community.
The identities of the felons, which state and federal officials declined to make public during a news conference Wednesday, were discovered during a joint effort by state and federal officials to compare immigration and sex offender records.
Of those identified, 36 are sex offenders who had served their sentence and had been released. In recent weeks, federal immigrant agents detained the 36 people and deportation proceedings have begun, Attorney General Bob McDonnell said.
Authorities also identified 84 sex offenders who had served time in Virginia but have since left the country.
An added 135 sex offenders who are not citizens were identified in Virginia's jails or prisons, he said. Those offenders will be deported after they serve their sentences as part of a new initiative called "Operation Cold Play" between McDonnell's office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Virginia State Police.
"It heightens the level of coordination in identifying sex offenders," McDonnell said.
Officials provided a list of cities and crimes for the 36 unnamed sex offenders who recently were detained. Most lived in Northern Virginia and had been convicted of offenses that include rape, assault, sexual battery and indecent exposure. The sole mention of South Hampton Roads was the detainment of a Norfolk person who was from India and had been convicted of taking indecent liberties with children. The countries of origin for those recently detained include nations in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and South and Central America.
Some of the 36 offenders had green cards, according to William Reid, a resident agent in charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Most of them had been convicted within the past decade, Virginia State Police Superintendant Col. W. Steven Flaherty said. Authorities declined to release any more information about the 36 offenders and would not provide specific details about the other 219 people identified by their investigation.
McDonnell acknowledged the recent arrests show that law enforcement authorities haven't been doing as good a job as they could in identifying the legal status of convicted sex offenders. As part of the initiative, law enforcement authorities also plan to check the immigration status of the roughly 35,000 convicted felons in the Virginia Department of Corrections system.
"We've got a lot more work to do," McDonnell said. "This is a great first step."
The initiative began in July, when McDonnell asked state police to go through the roughly 14,500 names in the Virginia Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry to find out how many were foreign-born.
State police forwarded the names to agents at ICE, which identified the 255 offenders.
McDonnell referred all questions about the identities of the sex offenders to ICE.
ICE spokeswoman Ernestine Fobbs said the agency had been advised by attorneys not to release their identities, citing privacy concerns.
Corinne Geller, a spokeswoman for the state police, said because the people were arrested by ICE agents for federal offenses, the state police could not release their names.
Jen McCaffery, (757) 446-2627, jen.mccaffery@pilotonline.com
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"submitting a bill for illegals"?
Now you're just making stuff up.
Tell us what incompetent Bush did about the threat of terrorism prior to 9-11.
Keithb
Typical lib spin. I call you on your statement about the president submitting a bill for illegals and you go off on tangents. I know how leadership works - been there and done that. I'm also not making excuses for Bush re illegals. I don't support it and unfortunately, it seems like almost all politicians are in love with it as are you.
As far as what Bush did prior to the terrorist attack, back up to Clinton and what he did in Somolia and the USS COLE among other events. If anyone was responsible for the attack, it was born in the eight years that Clinton was in office - it just happened on Bush's watch - less than one year after taking office. Anyone with a brain knows that these types of attacks take longer than a year to plan out.
"and know things for a fact"
OK, plp. Tell us some facts. What did Bush do prior to 9-11 about the threat of terrorism?
"The amnesty bill that was defeated last year was written by Ted Kennedy, a Democrat. He is also the one that authored the big amnesty back in the 1980's that passed."
You mean the amnesty bill that Reagan approved. And the bill last year was the one that Bush was pushing. Funny that Kennedy was doing the will of the repub presidents.
Not all were illegal
No comments about those who are here legally, have the proper work permits, have paid the proper money to ICE to be here...and they come from all over the world, not just Mexico. But they are sex offenders.
Kieth B
So, by your comment I am assuming you were in the President's office a month prior to 9-11 listening in on the facts being given to Bush about what was going to happen? You can not always believe what you read unless you were there and know things for a fact.
Keith
The amnesty bill that was defeated last year was written by Ted Kennedy, a Democrat. He is also the one that authored the big amnesty back in the 1980's that passed.
The reason why last years bill was defeated is because the American people spoke up forcing Congress to listen.
"once 9-11 occurred"
Too bad incompetent Bush did not care about the terrorism threat prior to 9-11. Even after being warned by his own administration the month before.
How Many More?
How many more of these illegal aliens have escaped the net? Many illegal aliens have committed crimes and never apprehended thanks to
our government for not enforcing immigration laws.
steveh
Obviously you get tired of the truth about incompetent Bush and his little kiddy book.
steveh
Learn how leadership works. You make excuses for Bush and his love for his illegals but then you praise how much Obama and Clinton want to do.
Keith B
That's right, Keith, our President was reading a story to school age children. Haven't seen any Dems do that recently - they are too self obsorbed. And, let me tell you, once 9-11 occurred Bush took a stand and began the global fight against terror.....a move that the Dems were completely against from the beginning. Why? We were attacked by terrorists on American soil. Why wouldn't we want to take the terrorists out? It just makes no sense to me and how the Democratic mind operates. So, how can you say that Bush was incompetent when in fact he acted on that terrible tragedy and the Dems got scared an ran from the situation and said it was not necessary to go to war. Typical...see, the people who are against the fight and grip and complain about the war are the people who were probably too scared to enlist for the fight of our safety and freedom.
Keithb
Don't you get tired of writing the same old tired statements? Your book reading comment has nothing to do with your amnesty comment so don't change the subject. You act like Bush is the only one for amnesty when in fact, the libs you love so much are even more for illegals. Obama and Clinton are both for citizenship for illegals and Obama is for giving drivers licenses. But I suppose you'll be for amnesty if a dem is in the white house. Regardless, my comment to you to learn how bills work remains. The president does not write nor submit bills to congress.
steveh
It's called leadership. Of course, incompetent Bush has shown his level of leadership when he read his little kiddy book while our country was under attack and several thousand Americans were being murdered on 9-11.
Another Red Herring
Here's a new battle cry for the xenophobes: All them furriners are sexual preverts!
Keithb
Learn your government. The president doesn't write bills to send to congress.
Why aren't their names & addresses listed?
"ICE officials today refused to release the names of the sex offenders, citing federal privacy laws."
So, let's see, we can list the names and addresses of those who get a DUI and kill someone, and those who shoot someone, and those sex offenders who are AMERICAN CITIZENS and listed on the Virginia State Police website, but we can't get the names and addresses of SEX OFFENDERS who are also ILLEGAL ALIENS!?!?
So what you are saying is that ILLEGAL ALIENS have more privacy rights than do AMERICAN CITIZENS!?!?
What is wrong with this picture?
"But yet, they (the democratic lunitics)"
That's funny! It was the dem majority Congress that rejected Bush's amnesty bill last year for his beloved illegal aliens.
Illegal Aliens
I'm sure this was a Tough Story for the Pilot. We all know how much support and admiration the Editorial Staff has given these "Undocumented Workers" in the past. Who cares if they've committed a few Crimes.
Illegal Immigrants in VA
I am so tired of hearing about illegals here in the U.S. They should not be here period! I am also tired of hearing about politicians contemplating the idea of giving them the same rights as U.S. born citizens. For some illegals who choose the potentially lucrative "criminal" lifestyle here in America and get busted acting on that crime they flee to their home country of Mexico where they can not be touched. Or, if they are caught and put into the American system we as tax payers are left with the burden of their stay. But yet, they (the democratic lunitics) want to give them free healthcare, jobs, driver's licenses, civil rights, and an education? America - wake up and take a stand! If the government would work as hard fighting for the rights of the American people instead of the illegal immigrants everyone would be much better off. Kudos to the people taking a stand and flushing the system of these disgusting illegals.
Good job!
Mr. McDonnell, I salute you. All the officers involved, I salute you. We have enough criminals here legally, we don't need more who shouldn't be here to begin with. Anyone has within them the potential to commit criminal acts, thankfully, most don't. Also, anyone has within them the potential to confront a problem or run from it. Thankfully in this case, someone is finally confronting the problem. Score 1 for legal Virginia residents this fine fine day.