A previously obscure immigration data set entered the public lexicon last week, sparking a new line of attack on Republicans and a flood of fact-checking over accurate but decontextualized numbers.
Last week, Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) drew attention to Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) “non-custodial docket.” This is one dataset that is just a few clicks away for most people.
“I asked [acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner]1. How many criminal aliens are there in this country? I'm not talking about your abuelita that was made years ago and may or may not be documented. I'm not talking about an eight-year-old boy who may or may not be building a house. I'm talking about convicted criminal aliens. That's what I'm talking about. That was the number I asked him. That's when he said, 'Tony, that's tough,''' Gonzalez told The Hill.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) releases large amounts of data regarding both immigration and border security, but some databases are kept secret.
“There are extensive efforts in the transparency community to force the U.S. government to submit more data about its operations, and the amount of information available about today's immigration enforcement system is unprecedented. Much of it is data that has been held by the U.S. government for generations but not shared with the public,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council. Ta.
Reckleitner opened the ledger and listed the ICE criminal detainer number and the non-custodial detainer number, which is a record of aliens with criminal charges or pending criminal charges who are known to be in or have been in the United States. A letter was sent to Gonzalez with the records. Not in ICE custody.
The raw numbers shocked Gonzalez, who made the letter public.
ICE's non-custodial records report more than 600,000 criminal suspects or convictions of aliens who are likely to be in the United States and not in ICE custody; Approximately 13,000 murderers are included.
Former President Trump quickly seized on the numbers and claimed that his election rival, Vice President Harris, was responsible for releasing 13,000 murderers onto the streets.
“In total, during her term, she housed an incredible 13,099 convicted murderers, some with 10 murders; I'm looking at these people, they're frigid killers, they're worse than any of our criminals,” Trump said over the weekend. He spoke at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania.
President Trump's representation of the numbers was incorrect. Most non-custodial records have been accumulated over decades and include deportable aliens in the criminal justice system who are not in ICE custody, including criminals in prisons and jails. are.
“It's not just dishonest. This is a deliberate misuse of information to further the dehumanization that has caused so much harm and violence over the past few weeks. So this is no coincidence. ” said Heidi Altman, policy director at the National Immigrant Justice Center.
So who's on the record? Experts say it's complicated.
“We don’t know for sure because they haven’t released that information, but here are some people. [Joaquín] Chapo Guzman will likely be on ICE's non-custodial record as long as he interacts with ICE while in the United States. Because he is a removable non-citizen and is not subject to restraint. ICE,” Reichlin-Melnik said.
“Zakarias Moussaoui, also known as the 20th generation.” [9/11] The hijacker has been in federal custody since 2001 and is currently serving a life sentence at ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado. He will likely be on ICE's non-custodial record. Richard Reid, the British shoe bomber who made us all have to take off our shoes at the TSA. He is a removable non-citizen and is serving a life sentence in Colorado. He will likely also be on ICE's non-detention record as a British national. ”
The document will likely include people who have left the U.S., including those who have been released from prison after serving a criminal sentence, as well as foreign nationals who have a record of interacting with ICE or leaving and returning.
While not all crimes make all aliens eligible for deportation, in some cases, decades-old accusations or minor convictions can leave unsuspecting permanent residents in the throes of ICE. I've been there before. These permanent residents will be covered by the documents shared in Rechleitner's letter.
“They gave no sense of time frame here at all, and I know full well how this plays out in our polarized media environment that they didn't give me any sense of time frame at all without any context.” I think it's a little bit questionable to just announce that. It's just alarming,” said Adam Isaacson, director of defense oversight for Latin America in the Washington office.
Following the release of Gonzalez's letter, DHS released a statement explaining some of the background.
“The data in this letter is misconstrued. The data goes back decades. It includes individuals who entered the country over the past 40 years, the majority of whom entered the country long before this administration took office. Custody decisions have been made, including many who are under the jurisdiction of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and who are currently incarcerated.''・Mr. Miranda said.
Gonzalez expressed frustration with the statistical controversy and said his goal was instead to highlight public safety issues.
“Actually, that number is somewhere between zero and 13,199, right? We don't know what that number is, but the government assures us that it knows. Once again, it says that number is zero. “Instead, why can't we just talk about, or even talk about the numbers, why not just talk about what we're doing to keep Americans safe?” he said.
This approach has infuriated border experts and immigration advocates in the past because it sets unattainable goals for law enforcement.
“What they say is that you start to hear the rhetoric that 'one is too many,' which is unreasonable from a policy perspective. There's no other public safety issue where expectations are zero.” said Mike Madrid, a Republican consultant and co-founder of the Anti-Trump Lincoln Project.
And unlike Gonzalez, who says he has sometimes been “punished” for going against the party line, many RepublicansRunning at number 13,000.
“They're not trying to have an honest debate. They just want a debate on this issue because they have far more public trust and confidence. That's why J.D. Vance… [they are] Whether to tell the truth about eating pets. “As long as we're talking about this issue, we're winning.'' They're right,'' Madrid said.
