Arrested immigrants at various detention centers
The 18 foreign nationals arrested last week on a variety of charges await their fate at various detention centers around the country.

Detainees were transported from Nantucket aboard a Coast Guard vessel last week.

Detective Lt. Jerry Adams of the Nantucket Police Department said the suspects rounded up last week are now being processed by federal agents on the mainland, away from the island's jurisdiction.

"There are no local charges; it's all federal," Adams said.

The 18 were rounded up by Nantucket police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents last Wednesday. They were then taken by the U. S. Coast Guard to the mainland for booking. Several face deportation charges.

U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the sweep was a "public safety operation" based on the suspects' "histories that include narcotics offenses, assault and battery, possession of a dangerous weapon, and larceny."

Several foreign nationals who said they had been victimized by the suspects helped police in the investigations leading up to the sweep.

Adams said more arrests could be coming.

"If there's a criminal element that's here illegally it will be dealt with through the state or federal justice system," he said.

- Steve Sheppard