ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The past couple weeks have seen tension and anxiety in the Southwest Kansas area with the presence of ICE and little information given on their itinerary.
Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser of the District of Kansas (USAO- KS) cautioned against spreading rumors about the operations and urged Kansans to wait for law enforcement agencies to release information.
“Claims suggesting these efforts were discriminatory ‘sweeps’ based on skin color and race are misguided and irresponsible. Such rhetoric stokes fear and risks unnecessary harm to Kansas industries,” Kriegshauser noted in a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office. “We encourage everyone discussing this topic, especially on social media, to pause, wait for the facts to be released, and avoid amplifying sensational or unsubstantiated rumors. When people witness ICE agents making an arrest, they do not know why that person is being detained. Because of laws, agency policies, and security safeguards, information about arrests is not always immediately made public. I ask people not to jump to conclusions and to instead wait for the facts to come out.”
Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security informed USAO-KS of the results of “Operation Safe Community - Kansas,” a three-day operation that took place Sept. 22 through 24. ICE carried out this initiative designed to apprehend criminal aliens in Kansas.
“ICE agents made 104 arrests in Southwestern Kansas. They arrested alien offenders with criminal histories including assault, domestic battery, aggravated battery, criminal threat, knowingly using a weapon to cause great bodily harm, disfigurement or death; criminal carrying of a weapon or concealed carry of a pistol or firearm; and fleeing or eluding law enforcement officers,” the U.S. Attorney’s office release noted.
The operations that took place in Southwest Kansas were not arbitrary but part of a larger effort to apprehend specific criminal aliens, some of whom were convicted of crimes like murder, assault, and rape,” Kriegshauser noted in the release. “Operation Safe Community – Kansas was a targeted operation designed to put some of the worst of the worst behind bars. Contrary claims are inaccurate. Instead, ICE officers conducted intelligence driven targeted immigration enforcement actions throughout Southwestern Kansas.”
Among those apprehended were:
• Flora Elvira De La Cruz Bustillos – from Mexico, convicted of cruelty toward child and larceny who was residing in Liberal.
• Jose Garcia Villa – from Mexico, convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault who was residing in Dodge City.
• Kham Khamchanh – from Laos, convicted of homicide who was residing in Hutchinson.
• Raul Duquenzne-Batista – from Cuba, convicted of aggravated assault with weapon, kidnapping, rape of disabled person, aggravated assault with a gun, burglary, and rape with a gun who was residing in Larned.
• Ky Sayapheth – from Laos, convicted of homicide, aggravated assault of public officer with weapon, aggravated assault of police officer with weapon, aggravated assault with weapon, and escape from custody who was residing in Hutchinson.
“Wanted criminals sometimes go to small towns thinking they can lie low and move undetected by law enforcement. I believe that people living in rural communities like Southwestern Kansas deserve the same protection as residents of any major city by not having to live with violent offenders in their midst,” Kriegshauser noted in the release. “Because of these law enforcement agents, more than 100 criminals are no longer freely walking our streets, thereby making our Kansas communities safer places to live and work.”
