3,400 refugees were arrested by US Marshals as part of Operation North Star

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) – The U.S. Department of Justice today announced that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) has apprehended 3,421 fugitives in the final phase of its high-impact apprehension initiative called Operation North Star FY 2024 (ONS FY24).

In a press release, the Justice Department said that of the 3,421 arrested, 216 were arrested for murder, 803 for assault and 482 for weapons offenses.

Authorities say the enforcement action for ONS FY24 took place over 74 days, from May 10 to September 13.

The initiative targets refugees in 10 metropolitan areas, including Little Rock. Other metropolitan areas selected for ONS FY24 include Dallas and Fort Worth, Charleston and North Charleston, Baton Rouge, Phoenix, St. Louis, Birmingham, Winston-Salem, Dayton and San Antonio.

According to the Justice Department, the program targeted violent criminals wanted for murder, sexual offenses and robbery. aggravated assault and firearms violations.

During the operations, marshals also seized 534 firearms, 456 pounds of illegal drugs and more than $508,000 in federal dollars.

“We first launched Operation North Star in 2022 to identify and apprehend the most dangerous fugitives and violent criminals,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, who visited law enforcement officials in Little Rock on Thursday. “From May through September of this year, the U.S. Marshals Service worked with state and local law enforcement partners in 10 metropolitan areas to apprehend more than 3,400 fugitives and violent offenders and seize large quantities of firearms and fentanyl.” I am every Deputy U.S. Marshal, Task “We are deeply grateful to the Force officer, investigators and police officers who made these arrests and did so at great risk to themselves.”

“Last year, the Marshals Service conducted Operation North Star in ten cities across the country experiencing high levels of gun violence,” said USMS Director Ronald L. Davis. “Over 3,000 dangerous refugees, including over 200 murder suspects, were arrested and removed from the neighborhoods. The success of this operation is the result of the outstanding collective efforts of our deputies and task force officers, as well as close collaboration with the community and our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal levels.”

According to the Justice Department, Operation North Star initiatives have resulted in the arrest of 10,200 wanted fugitives since 2022, of which 1,153 were wanted for murder. In addition, 1,425 weapons used in violent crimes were confiscated.