In a stunner, Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Patrick Lechleitner disclosed on Friday that more than 13,000 noncitizens with murder convictions are currently residing in the United States, having crossed the Biden-Harris administration’s border. The data emerged from a letter sent to Texas Congressman Tony Gonzales (R-TX).
According to the letter, as of July 2024, there are 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national docket. Among them, a jaw-dropping 13,099 have been convicted of homicide. Even more concerning, these individuals are not in federal custody; they are part of ICE’s “non-detained docket,” meaning they are living freely within U.S. borders while awaiting immigration proceedings, which could take years to resolve.
Congressman Tony Gonzales, who has been vocal about the ongoing crisis at the southern border, responded with outrage. “Americans deserve to be SAFE in our own communities,” Gonzales stated on X.
“We are removing and returning record numbers of migrants who are unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States, and prioritizing for removal those who present national security and public safety risks, and recent border crossers,” Lechleitner wrote. “From mid-May 2023 through the end of July 2024, DHS removed or returned more than 893,600 individuals, including more than 138,300 individuals in family units. The majority of all individuals encountered at the Southwest Border over the past three years have been removed, returned, or expelled.”
The latest adds fuel to the already heated debate over immigration policies under the current administration. Republican lawmakers have long criticized Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their handling of the southern border, accusing them of neglecting national security in favor of politically motivated leniency.
The numbers are indeed staggering: of the 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories, 435,719 are convicted criminals, and an additional 226,847 face pending criminal charges. The numbers also go beyond murder convictions. The Acting ICE Director’s letter further revealed that more than 15,800 noncitizens convicted of sexual assault are also on the non-detained docket. Additionally, there are nearly 1,900 individuals with pending homicide charges and over 4,250 with pending sexual assault charges currently roaming free in the U.S.
ICE’s limited capacity is exacerbating the problem. According to the agency’s report, ICE’s detention centers have the capacity for 41,500 individuals, a slight increase from the previous fiscal year, but still insufficient given the sheer volume of individuals entering the country. Meanwhile, state and local law enforcement agencies have refused to cooperate with ICE detainer requests, further complicating efforts to detain and deport dangerous individuals.
Bill Melugin of Fox News reported from Douglas, Arizona, where Vice President Kamala Harris is set to visit. “We just got these numbers moments ago, but it’s a jaw-dropper, to say the least,” Melugin explained. “According to a letter that the acting director of ICE just sent to Texas Congressman Tony Gonzalez, on ICE’s non-detained docket, they’re currently tracking 425,000 non-citizens who have been convicted of a crime. Of that number, over 13,000 non-citizens have convictions for homicide and are on the non-detained docket, meaning they’re roaming the country right now.
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