U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested 36 undocumented immigrants in collaboration with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office since November, according to ICE in a Friday news release.

A total of seven operations in Butler County over the past three-and-a-half months prompted the arrest of undocumented immigrants from Brazil, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the organization said Friday.

Many had been previously arrested and charged with crimes, ranging from failure to obey to organized violent crime, the news release said.

“It’s a coordinated effort,” Sheriff Mike Slupe said.

Twelve of his office’s deputies completed the training required under a 287(g) agreement with ICE in August or September and began joining the agency on operations in November.

The latest operation was in January.

That may have been on Jan. 22 when an operation at Ryan Homes at Park Place Townhomes in Cranberry Township detained eight people, but not every incident has made local or regional news.

For instance, a video posted by Frontline Dignity — an organization that aims to support affected communities and inform people about how they can document ICE activity — shows an unmarked white van blocking off a Cranberry Township underpass near Rochester and Graham School roads.

Jamie Martinez, the executive director of Frontline Dignity, said the video showed a person being detained around 8 a.m. Jan. 21.

“It’s absolutely accurate to say we are seeing an increase around the region, like across the nation,” said Martinez said in an earlier interview with the Eagle.

The 36 undocumented immigrants detained were not identified in the news release, but the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Arrested: Worst of the Worst webpage includes the names of four individuals who have been arrested in “Butler.”

The webpage did not specify if “Butler” references the city or county, but Slupe said operations had been conducted in the southwestern region of the county.

According to the webpage, Jesus Armendariz Lugo and Juan Vasquez-Gonzalez, both from Mexico, were both charged with selling cocaine; Jetmir Kutleshi, from Kosovo, was charged with identity theft; and Domingo Gonzalez-Perez, of Guatemala, was charged with DUI.

While Slupe said in a June commissioners’ meeting that arrests would require a warrant, it hasn’t always been with a specific immigration detainer.

Slupe compared the exceptions to police breaking up a house party.

“Much like any law enforcement operation, you run everybody to see if they’re wanted or not. And a lot of times, there are other people that are wanted,” Slupe said.

He said in these cases, people’s identities are run though an ICE database to search for their immigration status or potential warrants. He added there’s usually evidence these undocumented immigrants have previous criminal charges or have illegally reentered the country after being deported, which is a felony.

“These would be known illegal immigrants” Slupe said of those who are detained in that manner.

Slupe said his deputies have also assisted in incidents where detained immigrants were released from the scene following investigations.

“Because there wasn’t enough evidence to determine their (immigration) status, they were let go,” Slupe said.

Slupe said the agreement between ICE and the sheriff’s office allows him to decline assisting in any ICE operations, but he has yet to do so.

“If we are able to (assist), meaning we have the time and manpower available, we’ll provide,” he said. “If we don’t, then we won’t.”

Slupe said the times and dates of the operations are always prearranged, so the deputies who chose to participate go assist ICE then return to their daily duties.

“ICE conducts lawful targeted enforcement operations pursuant to the immigration laws passed and enacted by Congress,” the organization said in the Friday news release.

Detainees are transported for processing, but Slupe could not divulge the exact location.

The sheriff entered the agreement as an elected row officer in June of 2025, which has divided portions of county residents.

As recently as Wednesday, county residents have continued to show up at county commissioner meetings to voice either disapproval or support of the sheriff’s decision. Some argue the agreement puts the county at risk of being sued. Others encourage the sheriff to keep up his initiative.

Many residents against the agreement pointed to the number of outstanding bench warrants and suggested priorities should lie there. The office had 1,431 active bench warrants outstanding on Aug. 12, and 1,000 active warrants were listed on the sheriff’s warrant portal Feb. 13.

“We continue to work on those,” Slupe said Friday in an interview.

There are 59 law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania who have active 287(g) agreements to work with ICE, including 11 sheriff’s offices.