Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents took 22 people into custody this week in Santa Barbara County as part of a larger immigration enforcement operation throughout Southern California.
ICE officials say the operation targeted people considered public safety threats, such as convicted criminals and gang members, who are in the country illegally.
A total of 162 people were arrested.
ICE says five of them will be prosecuted for re-entry after deportation. The rest will be processed for removal from the country.
According to ICE officials, the arrestees include nationals from 12 countries: Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Romania, United Kingdom, and Venezuela.
