Over 13,000 homicide-convicted immigrants roaming free in the US: Report
- In Reports
- 03:21 PM, Sep 30, 2024
- Myind Staff
Over 13,000 immigrants who have been found guilty of homicide in the United States or abroad are presently living in freedom in the country, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They are on ICE's "non-detained" docket, which means that although ICE has information about them, they are not in custody at the moment and are either not a priority for detention or are not identifiable.
Based on data gathered as of July 21, the disclosure was made in response to a request made in March by Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales of Texas. The details were supplied by Acting ICE Director P.J. Lechleitner in his response. Gonzales shared the details on X writing, “As of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE's national docket—13,099 criminally convicted MURDERS! Americans deserve to be SAFE in our communities.”
It is unclear when the first of the 13,000 people entered the United States. Numerous immigrants, including those found guilty of serious crimes, entered the nation during previous administrations, including that of former President Donald Trump, according to two law enforcement officials who were aware of the data. According to NBC News, these people are still at large in the nation while they wait for immigration hearings.
The Republican nominee utilised the numbers on Friday at a Michigan campaign event to attack the immigration policies of the Joe Biden administration, specifically naming Vice President Kamala Harris. “These are hard, tough, vicious criminals that are free to roam in our country,” Trump stated, adding, “I can finally look at them and say ‘I told you so,' to the fake news.”
Although the White House has not yet responded to the figures, an official stated that the timing of the disclosure caught the administration off guard. The numbers provide insight into the intricate and sometimes disjointed immigration enforcement system, where effective coordination between federal, state, and local authorities is not always achieved.
As stated in the NBC News report, law enforcement sources claim that some of these people may have crossed the border and been released because at the time the US Border Patrol lacked access to information about their criminal records. A person's criminal conviction is frequently unknown to the US until after they arrive. Not only that but in sanctuary cities in particular, local or state authorities may release migrant prisoners after their sentences are served without notifying ICE, which makes it more difficult for ICE to track down and hold them.
Law enforcement officials stated to NBC News that ICE gives priority to apprehending immigrants who have been found guilty of violent crimes, like murder. However, they also emphasised that the agency's restricted resources make it difficult to locate and apprehend all those on the list. Over 7.5 million immigrants are presently listed by ICE as "non-detained," meaning they are not in custody but rather have pending immigration cases.
Despite these obstacles, local governments have been more cooperative, according to Lechleitner, who told NBC News that some have even reconsidered their sanctuary city policies in light of growing worries about migrant crime.
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