ICE: Over 425,000 criminal illegal immigrants are not in the agency’s custody, including 13,099 convicted murderers

Federal immigration authorities have announced that more than 425,000 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, including more than 13,000 people convicted of murder, are currently on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) non-detainer list , meaning they are not in ICE custody. Some could move freely in the United States.

The data was released in a Sept. 25 letter from ICE Acting Director Patrick Lechleitner to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), who issued a statement calling the situation “beyond troubling.”

“The truth is clear – illegal immigrants with criminal records are coming into our country,” Gonzales said.

Lechleitner’s letter to Gonzales shows that as of July 21, there were 662,566 illegal immigrants with criminal histories on the agency’s national list. Of these, 435,719 have been convicted of crimes, while a further 226,847 have criminal cases pending.

Of the total number of convicted felons, 425,431 are currently not incarcerated, meaning they remain in the United States under some form of ICE supervision but are not in ICE custody.

The more than 425,000 people on ICE’s so-called “non-detained” list include 13,099 people who have been convicted of murder, while another 1,845 have been charged with murder.

However, the fact that these individuals are on ICE’s non-detained list does not necessarily mean that they move freely within American communities. Many may be under varying levels of legal supervision or serving time in federal, state or local prisons for their crimes. Additionally, some people on the non-detained list may have already completed their prison sentences as a result of their criminal conviction and may be under ICE supervision – even though they are not detained – while they await immigration proceedings.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told some media outlets that the data goes back about four decades and that custody decisions for the “vast majority” of people on the list were made long before the current administration. Additionally, the list also includes “many who are under the jurisdiction of, or currently incarcerated by, federal, state, or local law enforcement partners.”

The Epoch Times reached out to ICE to ask for clarification on the numbers; In particular, it will provide a breakdown of how many people on the non-incarcerated list are currently incarcerated.

Former President Donald Trump took to social media to criticize Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, for what he called an “unchecked and uncontrolled” influx of dangerous foreign criminals.

If elected in November, Trump has promised to restore border policies in place under his administration, complete the wall along the U.S. southern border, “conduct the largest deportation operation in American history” and increase penalties for illegal border crossings. among other suggestions.

Harris, who was appointed by President Joe Biden to address the problem of illegal immigration into the United States, has been widely criticized for her handling of the border crisis. On September 27, she visited Douglas, Arizona, and gave a speech calling for stricter asylum policies.

“Those who unlawfully cross our borders will be arrested and deported and will not be allowed to re-enter for five years. We will pursue tougher criminal charges against repeat offenders, and if someone fails to apply for asylum at a legal point of entry and instead crosses our border unlawfully, they will be denied asylum,” Harris said, pledging to implement that policy if elected.

Despite Harris’ proposed changes, the Biden administration has defended its current border policy, arguing that it balances the need for humane treatment of illegal border crossers with enforcing immigration laws.

Biden signed a declaration on June 4 to suspend asylum applications from illegal immigrants once 5,000 per day crossed the border. However, he also repealed many of Trump’s immigration policies on his first day in office, including one that forced asylum seekers to remain in Mexico until they received a court date from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Allan Stein and Jacob Burg contributed to this report.

From the Epoch Times