Chicago CBP arrested 98 wanted criminals in 6 months

CHICAGO– While U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the northern and southern borders are keeping criminals from entering the U.S., CBP officers at interior Ports of Entry are also ensuring criminals are being held accountable for their actions.

CBP officers in Chicago have arrested 98 criminals wanted on outstanding warrants at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport since the start of the fiscal year, Oct. 1, 2024.

These individuals were either arriving or leaving the U.S. when they were detained. They varied in age from 17 to 64 and 18 of the arrests were female. The warrants varied from failure to appear, military desertion, larceny, fraud, and DUIs to more serious crimes like sexual assault, sex offenses against a child, indecent solicitation of a child, exploitation of a child, strongarm rape, homicide, and drug possession warrants for cocaine, marijuana, and fentanyl.

Officers receive manifest of travelers on flights and compare those names against the active arrest warrants in the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Officers ensure the traveler is an exact match to the system by using fingerprints, passport numbers or state issued ID for identification.

All the individuals were taken into custody and subsequently processed by CBP officers. After processing, they were turned over to a local sheriff, county, city or state police departments for further processing.

“Customs and Border Protection officers encounter all types of travelers arriving to and departing from the United States, including travelers wanted for allegedly committing serious heinous offenses,” said LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, Director, Field Operations, Chicago Field Office. “CBP continues to work with our law enforcement partners to help capture dangerous fugitives so they may face justice.”

The NCIC is a centralized automated database designed to share information, such as outstanding warrants, among law enforcement agencies. Based on information from NCIC, CBP officers have previously arrested individuals wanted for homicide, escape, money laundering, robbery, narcotics distribution, sexual child abuse, fraud, larceny, and military desertion.

CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations.  Follow CBP on X @CBPChicago and @DFOChicago. Visit CBP’s YouTube channel to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.