Since Oct. 1, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) have arrested 124 people with outstanding warrants.
According to the law enforcement agency, 105 were arrested between October and April 30, 2022, as travelers attempted to enter the United States or flee. In May, another 19 travelers were arrested at the airport. Seized criminals included those wanted for charges varying from child porn to drug trafficking, sexual assault, and murder. All were caught after the CBP cross-referenced departing and arriving passenger manifests with warrants posted on the centralized database of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
“CBP officers frequently collaborate with other law enforcement agencies throughout the country and internationally to ensure criminals are not able to freely walk the streets,” LaFonda Sutton-Burke, director of field operations at the Chicago Field Office, said. “Our officers have the responsibility to identify wanted fugitives at our ports of entry and take the necessary law enforcement action.”
Once their identities are confirmed, those seized by CBP for outstanding warrants are either detained from boarding or after disembarking from their flights and turned over to local authorities. CBP processed more than 650,000 arriving travelers at various airports, seaports, and land border crossings and arrested an average of 25 wanted criminals each day last year.