More than 435,000 immigrants with criminal records have been released by ICE, the agency’s director says

ALABAMA – The unprecedented number of arrests and encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as disputes between leaders of both major political parties over an appropriate response, have brought the issue of immigration to the forefront of voters’ minds ahead of November’s presidential election.

As Republican leaders like Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continue to use cases of immigrants who entered the country illegally and were charged with crimes to advance their electoral agenda, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released numbers on the number of undocumented immigrants facing criminal charges Convictions announced were published by the agency throughout the United States.

On September 25, ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, stating that as of July 21, there were 662,566 non-citizens with criminal records on the list non-detained persons (NDD) of the agency. Of these, more than 435,000 are convicted criminals and 226,847 of them have criminal proceedings pending.

According to Border Report, the letter was sent after Gonzales asked the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in March for data on migrants with criminal backgrounds.

“The data released by ICE is beyond troubling and should be a wake-up call for the Biden-Harris administration and cities across the country that are hiding behind protective measures,” Gonzales said on September 27. “It’s time for Washington to move.” The rhetoric of the past and the promise of results deserve people to feel safe in their communities.

Concern over crimes committed by migrants has become a top talking point for Donald Trump and other Republicans when it comes to the country’s immigration problem.

Earlier this year at the Republican National Convention, Trump continued to blame illegal immigrants for driving violent crime, despite multiple studies showing that immigrants are not more likely to commit crime.

According to Lechleitner, 62,231 people with criminal convictions for assault have been released by ICE while they await immigration proceedings. ICE’s acting director also mentioned that the agency is currently awaiting 42,915 cases with pending assault charges.

According to Lechleitner, the agency is currently holding 2,348 undocumented migrants who have been convicted of assault and 1,498 who still have cases pending. He blames some of those released for the failure of law enforcement in “sanctuary cities” to cooperate.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement to multiple media outlets including The Washington Post claiming that Republicans are “misinterpreting” the ICE data since the numbers actually go back decades and “include people over 100.” years have entered the country”. for the last 40 years or more, and the vast majority of custody decisions were made long before this administration.”

In fact, DHS says the 13,099 immigrants with murder convictions cited by Trump and his allies are part of ICE’s “non-detained” list, a list of nearly 7 million people who have immigration cases pending before the agency but who are not detained ICE for a variety of reasons – such as because they are currently detained by federal, state or local authorities or because they have already completed their sentence but have not been deported.

Earlier this year, Latin Times reported that some Democratic strongholds dubbed “sanctuary cities” had begun cooperating with ICE as public concerns about crime continued to rise.

“ICE recognizes that some jurisdictions fear that cooperation with federal immigration authorities will undermine trust in immigrant communities and make it more difficult for local law enforcement to serve these populations. However, “sanctuary” policies can ultimately end up shielding dangerous criminals, often victimizing these same communities,” Lechleitner wrote in the letter.

According to Lechleitner’s letter, ICE has released 15,811 people convicted of sexual assault, 56,533 convicted of drug possession and 2,521 convicted of kidnapping.

In fiscal year 2024, ICE has the capacity to accept up to 41,500 illegal migrants, an increase from the limit of 34,000 in fiscal year 2023.

The agency is not permitted to release certain people, including those convicted of murder, and other cases are decided on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the circumstances of each case, “taking into account primarily the flight risk, the threat national security and threats”. for public safety,” he wrote.

Lechleitner said that under the Biden administration, DHS is “expelling and returning record numbers of migrants who are unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States, and is prioritizing for deportation those who are at risk.” represent national security and public safety.”

From May 2023 to July of this year, DHS deported or returned 900,000 people.