More than half a million illegal immigrants with pending immigration cases with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have a criminal history, with tens of thousands convicted of sexual assault or murder.
“There were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s docket, which includes those detained by ICE and on the agency’s non-detained docket. Of those, 435,719 are convicted criminals, and 226,847 have pending criminal charges,” said the ICE report to congress.
The shocking statistic, which is based entirely on federal data, underscores the high-profile debate between former Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris over whether the Biden-Harris administration’s open-borders policies have benefitted the U.S.
The vast majority of these criminals are simply released into the U.S. while their immigration cases are pending, allowing them to terrorize Americans across the country.
Federal data from the Department of Homeland Security has shown a striking increase in the number of illegal aliens entering the U.S. since President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris entered office in Jan. 2021.
Critics, including Trump, have argued that this surge in illegal immigration has overwhelmed public resources, strained the economy, created security challenges at the border, and caused elevated levels of crime throughout the interior of the country. In addition, federal authorities have admitted that dozens of individuals on the terror watch list have crossed illegally into the U.S., and more recently, it has emerged that terrorist groups may have smuggled shoulder-fired rockets into the U.S. in a bid to down former President Trump’s plane.
On the other hand, the Biden-Harris administration defends its approach, emphasizing the importance of compassion and the need for a humane, equity-based immigration system. The Biden-Harris administration has stridently embraced open-border policies, including an expansion of the asylum seeker and refugee programs, with Vice President Harris serving as the “border czar” for the Biden White House.
More recently, however, as she attempts to win over voters in battleground states, Harris has taken a 180 degree turn on illegal immigration, even showcasing parts of Trump’s infamous border wall in her paid advertising.
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ICE can only detain a maximum of 41,500 illegal immigrants at any given time, according to the report, while the rest must be released into the country.
Officials then hope those convicted criminals return for their scheduled removal hearings instead of enjoying their free rein of the U.S.
The ICE document provides a detailed list of all the crimes committed by the illegals currently either detained by ICE or in the country but on the docket for removal.
The list also specifies which criminals are detained and which remain at large.
ICE clarified that some non-citizen criminals are not released into the U.S., reassuring Congress that “most” illegals convicted of homicide are “typically not eligible” to be released into the country.
That claim is seemingly contradicted by the data included just pages later, showing that of the 13,376 illegals convicted of homicide on the docket, only 277 are currently detained, while 13,099 are roaming the country freely.
Additionally, the list shows that 1,845 accused of homicide, but not yet convicted, remain at large.
The same pattern continues with other serious crimes: 2,521 kidnappers were released, with only 85 in custody. 15,811 rapists were released, and only 509 are in custody.
The illegals released into the country include a slew of other criminals, including 2,200 convicted of “commercialized sexual offenses,” 9,461 convicted of “other” sexual offenses, and 62,231 convicted of and 42,915 accused of violent assault.
Enigmatically, 10,998 convicted of “general crimes” are also running amok in the U.S.
In total, 425,431 convicted criminals and 222,121 with pending charges are currently at large in the U.S., while only 14,994 criminals, either convicted or with pending charges, are in ICE custody.
Notably, the number of criminals detained is less than half the 41,500 detainee capacity touted by ICE officials.
The agency is releasing murderers and sex offenders despite having space to detain thousands more.
