It isn't often that you hear of the Border Patrol conducting operations in Michigan, but an operation in Grayling netted 17 illegals.

The Border Patrol says they will conduct vehicle checks along I-75 from time to time because I-75 is a main artery leading from the Canadian border at Sault Ste. Marie.

This week, the sting that caught 17 illegal aliens, was conducted at a constrution site where the men were employed. 15 of the men arrested were from Mexico and two were from Honduras, including one who was a convicted felon.

“Any time you can take an aggravated felon off the streets, I think that says a lot," Kris Grogan, a public affairs officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection told UpNorthLive.com. "This individual previously was charged with some drug charges with the intent to distribute so that’s a win for us. It’s not just a win for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the United States Border Patrol, it’s a win for our children and for everyone else in the United States.”

Grogan added that these arrests were not the result of any ongoing action in Northern Michigan, but the direct result of tips they had received from concerned citizens and the Michigan State Police who first encountered several of the men in a traffic stop.

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