Federal and state officials say a concentrated two-week enforcement surge across West Virginia resulted in the arrest of roughly 650 people living in the country illegally, an operation they say proceeded with minimal public disruption and stands in sharp contrast to the protests and clashes reported in other states. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
From Jan. 5 through Jan. 19, teams of federal agents deployed to cities across the Mountain State — including Charleston, Martinsburg, Beckley, Moorefield, Morgantown and Huntington — working alongside a network of state and local partners to identify and detain individuals with criminal convictions or prior removal orders, according to federal officials and agency statements. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
JB McCuskey, the state’s attorney general, told Fox News Digital that cooperation between state and local authorities and federal immigration agents was central to the operation’s efficiency and to avoiding the kind of unrest seen during high-profile enforcement actions elsewhere. “We’ve made it very, very easy for criminal illegal aliens to be picked up and processed by ICE,” he said in an interview. (Fox News)
Local law enforcement leaders who hosted ICE teams described the activity as professional and low-key. Jefferson County’s top law enforcement official, Thomas Hansen, confirmed a two-week presence by ICE in his jurisdiction and praised the agents’ conduct and their coordination with local officers. (Fox News)
Department of Homeland Security officials framed the West Virginia results as a model for how cooperation can reduce public-safety risks. DHS representatives said similar, low-profile operations have been carried out in other states and suggested that jurisdictions that work with federal partners tend to see more effective and orderly enforcement outcomes. (Fox News)
The West Virginia operation was repeatedly held up by state officials as a counterexample to the turmoil that has accompanied some enforcement efforts in other parts of the country. Officials singled out Minnesota, where recent ICE-related actions have prompted protests and tense exchanges between federal agents and demonstrators; critics there have described ICE activity as intrusive and have mobilized public resistance. (Fox News)
Not everyone in West Virginia welcomed the sweep. State Democratic Party chair and Kanawha County delegate Mike Pushkin criticized the operation and accused Republican leaders of failing to push back against federal action. He pointed to court challenges that resulted in some detainees’ release and said judicial findings should prompt broader concern about due process. (Fox News)
Federal and state officials also pointed to recent enforcement in other states to illustrate their argument that collaboration reduces disruptions. DHS officials noted arrests in Alabama and elsewhere as examples of similarly managed operations; Alabama elected officials indicated they would continue to welcome federal law-enforcement assistance. (Fox News)
ICE and DHS said the detainees taken during the West Virginia surge included people with serious criminal convictions and others who had been ordered removed from the United States. Agency statements detailed arrests connected to multiple enforcement initiatives conducted during the two-week period. (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Officials on opposing sides of the debate interpreted the same facts differently: supporters argued that cooperation with federal immigration authorities improves public safety, while critics warned that aggressive enforcement can lead to civil-liberties concerns and community disruption that courts may later address.
