Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sexual assault and murder convictions roam US streets: ICE data

Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sex offenses and murder convictions are free on the streets, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data provided to lawmakers this week.

The agency provided national data for illegal immigrants with criminal charges or convictions to Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas. The data as of July 2024 is broken down into people who are in detention and those who are not – the so-called non-detention list. The list of non-detained individuals includes illegal immigrants who have a final order of removal or are undergoing deportation proceedings but are not in ICE custody. There are currently more than 7 million people on this list.

According to the data, among those not incarcerated there are 425,431 convicted offenders and 222,141 offenders against whom criminal proceedings are pending.

The number of non-incarcerated ice records explodes to 7.4 million cases

This includes 62,231 people convicted of assault, 14,301 people convicted of burglary, 56,533 people convicted of drug abuse and 13,099 people convicted of murder. Another 2,521 were convicted of kidnapping and 15,811 were convicted of sexual assault.

There are another 1,845 with pending murder charges, 42,915 with assault charges, 3,266 with burglary charges and 4,250 with assault charges.

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“As of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 non-citizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national file – 13,099 criminally convicted MURDERS!” Gonzales said in a statement. “Americans deserve to be SAFE in our own communities.”

In an accompanying statement to the latter, ICE took aim at so-called “sanctuary cities” that refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement in deporting illegal immigrant criminals.

“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 end up shielding dangerous criminals, often victimizing these same communities,” it said.

It also highlighted DHS's efforts to deport illegal immigrants: “From mid-May 2023 to the end of July 2024, DHS deported or returned more than 893,600 individuals, including more than 138,300 individuals in family units. The majority of all people found there.” “The southwest border of the last three years has been removed, returned or expelled.”

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The Biden administration came under criticism for releasing many migrants arriving at the U.S. border into the interior, which coincided with a sharp decline in deportations as it focused on prioritizing public safety and threats to national security concentrated. There were 142,580 layoffs in FY23, a significant increase from 72,177 in FY22 and 59,011 in FY21, but still below the highs of 267,258 under the Trump administration in FY19.

Meanwhile, the number of illegal immigrants not in detention increased from 3.7 million in fiscal year 2021 to nearly 4.8 million in fiscal year 2022 and to over 7 million in fiscal year 2023.

Republicans have blamed the border crisis on administration policies, including the rollback of Trump policies that restricted “catch and release.”

“It may be shocking to hear that the Biden-Harris Administration is actively releasing tens of thousands of criminal illegal aliens into our communities, but its own numbers conclusively prove this is the case. “This defies all common sense,” House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green told Fox News Digital. “Under President Biden and his 'border czar' Vice President Harris, DHS law enforcement has been directed to mass release illegal immigrants who they know have criminal records or are being charged with serious crimes – and these dangerous, destructive individuals are doing their right.” How many more Americans must die or become victims before they are forced to obey the laws she swore to uphold? This is something that no civilized, well-functioning society should tolerate.”

Click here to learn more about the border security crisis

In a statement Saturday, DHS said the data had been “misinterpreted.”

“The data goes back decades; they include people who have entered the country in the last 40 years or more and whose custody decisions were largely made long before this administration,” a spokesperson said. “This includes many who are under the jurisdiction of, or are currently in custody of, federal, state or local law enforcement agencies.”

The administration has said it needs more funding and reforms from Congress to repair a “broken” immigration system, including through a bipartisan Senate bill introduced this year that was rejected by Republicans. It also pointed to a sharp decline in arrivals since President Biden signed an executive order restricting asylum at the border in June. DHS also said it has deported over 180,000 non-citizens with criminal convictions since January 2021.

“Despite the challenges of operating within a broken immigration system, and in the face of an enormous workload and continually limited funding, DHS continues to enforce the law to secure our borders,” DHS said in its letter.

This bill would increase the number of ICE detention beds, but administration critics have pointed to numbers that show not all beds are currently occupied.

The release of the data comes as Vice President Kamala Harris is visiting the southern border in Arizona to soften former President Trump's criticism on the issue and renew her call for a bipartisan border law. The conservatives were not influenced by the visit.

“Border Czar Kamala Harris has had nearly four years to protect America and has failed,” RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE), told Fox News Digital in response to the data. “It allows tens of thousands of murderers and rapists to walk free. It puts criminals first and the safety of you and your family last.”

Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Original source of the article: Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sexual assault and murder convictions roam US streets: ICE data