McALLEN — On Monday, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas held a press conference in regards to Operation Pick-Off where the federal government arrested 78 people illegally present in the country across four counties.

“Operation Pick-Off is a multi-agency immigration/violent crime effort targeting criminals in the Rio Grande Valley,” a news release announcing the operation stated. “It began Aug. 22 and continued through the weekend in the counties of Cameron, Willacy, Hidalgo and Starr.”

Aaron Tapp, the FBI special agent in charge of the San Antonio Field Office, described the “threats” from those arrested as “too complex, too dangerous, and too widespread.”

The operation is a collaborative effort in coordination with Operation Take Back America, a nati

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