Immigration sweep nets 286 with criminal records

By AMY TAXIN Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Immigration agents say they have arrested 286 people in California in what authorities call the biggest such crackdown yet in state communities.

The major sweep announced Friday was aimed at rounding up suspected illegal immigrants with criminal records.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement says more than 400 agents and local law enforcement officers conducted a three-day search.

ICE chief John Morton said in August the agency's fugitive operations teams would focus increasingly on finding immigrants with criminal records.