Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has released more than 435,000 undocumented migrants with criminal convictions into cities across the US, according to a letter sent by ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner to Texas Rep Tony Gonzales.
The letter revealed that as of July 21, there were 662,566 illegal immigrants with criminal histories on ICE’s non-detained docket, meaning they await immigration proceedings without being held in custody. Of these, 435,719 are convicted criminals and an additional 226,847 face pending criminal charges.
The release of this data has sparked criticism from lawmakers, with Gonzales and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green calling the situation “disturbing” and “shocking”.
They condemned the Biden and Harris administration’s immigration policies and sanctuary cities for failing to cooperate with ICE detainer requests, which they claim allows dangerous criminals to remain in US communities.
ICE’s letter has highlighted concerns over sanctuary policies that protect criminals and called for better congressional funding for DHS.
The shocking statistics include 62,231 illegal immigrants convicted of assault, while an additional 42,915 are facing pending assault charges. ICE also reported that 15,811 individuals convicted of sexual assault and 56,533 convicted of drug possession have been released. Furthermore, 2,521 illegal immigrants with kidnapping convictions are currently not detained.
ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner noted that these releases are partly due to a lack of cooperation from sanctuary cities, promoted by Biden and Harris, which refuse to honour ICE detainer requests, even for individuals convicted of serious felonies.
This article was originally published by the Daily Telegraph New Zealand.
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