Currently, more than 15,000 illegal immigrants with sexual assault convictions roam the United States. And a new Republican-backed bill would allow ICE to track them down and deport them.
The bill, titled “Go away bill,” was filed after the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed to Texas Congressman Tony Gonzalez last week that there are more than 600,000 immigrants with criminal convictions in the United States. It was done.
This figure includes both people who were allowed to enter the country despite having committed crimes in their home countries, as well as immigrants who have been convicted of crimes here.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) on Tuesday introduced a bill to expedite the deportation of undocumented immigrants convicted of sexual assault and aggravated sexual assault, according to the text of the bill first obtained by the newspaper. Submitted.
“If we had real border security, these violent criminals would never have entered the United States in the first place,” Ernst said in a statement shared with the Post. Now that they are in our community, they need to go.”
“Because border czar Kamala Harris won't protect this country, I will. My legislation will combat sexual violence by ensuring predators are identified, stopped, and deported,” she said. added.
It is unclear how many of the 15,000 immigrants with criminal convictions entered the United States under the Biden-Harris administration. At the time, illegal border crossings reached record levels, forcing federal authorities to release unprecedented numbers of immigrants into the United States with little or no screening.
It is also unclear how many of the inmates are in the custody of other law enforcement agencies and how many are on the street.
More than 8,000 of the approximately 37,000 immigrants currently in ICE custody are convicted criminals, according to federal data.
They are often detained pending the outcome of appeals or other immigration court proceedings. Or in some cases, such as Venezuelans, who are detained because their home country does not currently accept deportation flights.
Meanwhile, ICE says a major hurdle in its efforts to detain undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes is that sanctuary laws prevent local jurisdictions from contacting agency personnel. .
“ICE notes that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperation with federal immigration authorities erodes trust with immigrant communities and makes it difficult for local law enforcement to serve immigrants. ,” Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner wrote to Gonzalez.
“However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up protecting dangerous criminals who victimize the same communities.”
In addition to immigrants convicted of sex crimes, ICE also revealed that approximately 13,000 immigrants who are not in custody are convicted murderers.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, illegal border crossing More than 2.2 million migrants were encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2022, from October 2021 to September 2022, a record high, according to the Congressional Research Service.
But in June, the Border Patrol recorded nearly 83,000 illegal entry cases following new federal restrictions on asylum access at the border, and the number of migrants under the Biden-Harris administration increased. The number of encounters has fallen to its lowest level.
The Biden-Harris administration further strengthened the rule on Monday, saying immigrants must have an average of fewer than 1,500 people entering the country illegally each day to avoid removal. According to the Associated Press. Previously, rules required restrictions to remain in place until the number of illegal crossings reached an average of 1,500 a day over a week.
