A top priority of President Donald Trump's second administration, and arguably his most popular policy, has been the apprehension and deportation of criminal aliens who are residing in the country illegally.

On Friday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed that a weeklong joint operation in New York state resulted in the arrests of 133 illegal aliens, according to the New York Post.

Of those who were nabbed by federal agents in the ICE-led operation, at least 20 had prior criminal convictions or faced current criminal charges, including three for murder, and at least nine had illegally reentered the country after having been previously deported.

Arrests made, deportations to follow

In a Friday press release, ICE announced that it had just completed an "enhanced targeted enforcement operation" in parts of central, western, and upstate New York from March 24-28 that led to arrests for at least 133 illegal aliens.

As noted, at least 20 of the arrestees had prior criminal convictions or pending charges, including three for homicide, with the other crimes ranging from assault, drunk driving, and drug dealing to possession of child pornography and sexual conduct with a child, among other things.

The operation also included the execution of four separate search warrants for worksite enforcement that found several illegal aliens being harbored illicitly and led to "multiple bookings and records seizures as well as 18 administrative arrests for violations of immigration law."

Successful joint operation involving multiple federal agencies

Though the operation was led by ICE, that agency received assistance from the FBI; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; the U.S. Marshals Service; the State Department's Diplomatic Security Services, and federal prosecutors.

"By leveraging our federal partnerships and intelligence-driven investigations, ICE continues to carry out its mission in a way that best serves national security, public safety, and border security," Phillip Roney, the Acting Deputy Field Office Director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Buffalo, said in a statement.

"I am grateful for the professionalism, dedication, and support from all of our partners during this week-long operation to remove dangerous alien offenders from our New York communities," he added.

Roney was joined by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Buffalo Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan, who said, "The success of this enhanced enforcement operation underscores the importance of utilizing a whole-of-government approach when protecting the public from criminal aliens and dangerous individuals living in our western, central, and northern New York communities."

"Standing side-by-side with our partners, ICE HSI will utilize every tool at our disposal to ensure the safety and security of New Yorkers. I commend our partners from the FBI, CBP, USBP, ATF, DEA, DSS, and USMS for their unwavering collaboration in support of this vital mission," she added.

Broad popular support for Trump's deportation policies

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, multiple public polls have shown that President Trump's concerted efforts to locate, arrest, and deport illegal aliens, especially those with criminal records, are undisputably his most popular policy.

One recent poll found that 53% of Americans supported Trump's broad immigration policies, 57% believed he was focused either the "right amount" or "not enough" on arresting and deporting illegal aliens, and 58% supported those arrests and deportations.

Another recent poll similarly found that 53% of Americans supported the deportation of illegal aliens, but notably, that figure increased to 80%, including 72% of Democrats, when those illegal aliens have criminal records or pending criminal charges.