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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data reveals that over 13,000 illegal immigrants with homicide convictions, either in the U.S. or overseas, are currently not in ICE custody.
What’s the deal:
According to the data released by ICE, over 425,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions are currently being tracked but are not in federal custody. The reasons include “because
- They are not prioritized for detention.
- They are serving time in a county jail or state prison for their crimes.
- Or because ICE cannot find them.
Of the 425,000, 13,099 individuals have been convicted of murder, with another 1,845 facing pending homicide charges. Additionally, 15,845 have been convicted of sex crimes, with 4,250 facing pending sexual assault charges. There are also 56,533 migrants with drug convictions, 2,521 with kidnapping convictions, 62,231 with assault charges, and 14,301 convicted of burglary. These figures are part of ICE’s “non-detained docket,” which includes over 7 million migrants with pending immigration cases, of whom 647,000 have criminal convictions or charges.
Reactions from Republicans: During a rally, Former President Donald Trump said, “I can finally look at them and say ‘I told you so‘ to the fake news. These are hard, tough, vicious criminals that are free to roam in our country.” In addition, other republicans have commented on the news, reaffirming their demands for the Biden administration to take more action along the southern border.
ICE provides context: In a statement to NBC, an ICE spokesman said, “The data in this letter is being misinterpreted. The data goes back decades; it includes people who entered the country over the past 40 year or more, the vast majority of whose custody determination was made long before this administration. It also includes many who are under the jurisdiction or currently incarcerated by federal, state or local law enforcement partners.”
ICE official chimes in: ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner suggested that many individuals on the list provided to Congress have not been apprehended due to local cities’ “sanctuary” policies. In a statement, Lechleitner said, “ICE recognizes that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperating with federal immigration officials will erode trust with immigrant communities and make it harder for local law enforcement to serve those populations. However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimize those same communities.
