Immigration sting nets 58 gang members

An immigration crackdown netted more than four dozen suburban immigrants convicted of gang offenses, federal officials said today.

In a four-day push called "Operation Community Shield," federal immigration officials and local police arrested 58 immigrants from the North and Northwest suburbs including Mundelein, Round Lake and Waukegan.

All were men and all were Mexican, officials said.

Of those detained, 37 lived here illegally. The remaining 21 had green cards, but earlier convictions qualify them for deportation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said.

"Street gangs pose a growing public safety threat to communities throughout this area," special agent in charge Elissa Brown said in a statement.

More than 5,000 immigrants from 500 different gangs have been arrested and targeted for deportation nationwide as part of this initiative, authorities said.

In Waukegan, a prayer vigil planned in protest to the arrests will begin tonight and continue through Friday. Organizers say the arrests roil an already concerned community.