The White House has not yet commented on new data released to lawmakers showing how many undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of sex crimes or murder are not in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
The agency provided data on national data on undocumented immigrants with criminal charges or convictions to Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez of Texas. Data as of July 2024 is broken down by people in detention and people not in custody, known as the Non-Detained Persons Register. Non-custodial records include noncitizens who have received a final order of removal or are in removal proceedings but are not detained in ICE custody.
There are currently more than 7.4 million people on this list, up from about 3.7 million when former President Trump left office.
Tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sexual assault and murder convictions roam U.S. streets: ICE data
A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands at the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Calexico, California. (Eric Thayer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Of the offenders not currently in custody, there are 425,431 convicted offenders and 222,141 with criminal charges pending, according to the data. The data does not reveal how many of these offenders were recent arrivals.
For comparison, August 2016Towards the end of the Obama administration, ICE announced that it had approximately 2.2 million noncitizens on its non-custodial record and approximately 368,574 were convicted criminals.
The latest data shows that convicted offenders include 62,231 people with assault convictions, 14,301 people with robbery convictions and 5 people with drug convictions. 16,533 people, including 13,099 people convicted of murder. A further 2,521 people have been convicted of kidnapping and 15,811 people have been convicted of sexual assault. There are also 1,845 people with murder charges pending, 42,915 with assault charges, 3,266 with robbery charges, and 4,250 with assault charges.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the data or whether it was aware of the numbers. Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign also did not comment, but Harris is currently at the southern border in Arizona.
Fox News Digital also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security.
The news sparked outrage from Republicans, who linked the numbers to Biden administration policies and sanctuary jurisdictions refusing to cooperate with ICE.
'Political stunt': Critics dismiss Harris' planned Arizona border visit as immigration remains top of mind
Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) said the data was “beyond alarming” and “should serve as a wake-up call to the Biden-Harris administration and to cities across the country hiding behind sanctuary policies. ” he said.
“It's time for Washington to move beyond the rhetoric and move toward results. Americans have the right to feel safe in their communities. As an appropriator, I will do whatever it takes to deport noncitizens with criminal records. “We will do everything in our power to ensure that ICE has the resources to do so. This is an absolutely necessary priority,” he said in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration is also helping clean up the mess caused by policy failures. They have the ears of sanctuary city mayors. They need to change course and put the safety of Americans first. It's time to encourage it.”
Mark Green, chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, said releasing illegal immigrants into the United States “defies all common sense.”
Migrants line up at a remote U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S. and Mexico in Lukeville, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images)
“This is madness. It is not something that a civilized, well-functioning society should tolerate,” he said.
In its letter to Gonzalez, ICE targets so-called “sanctuary” cities that refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement in deporting criminal illegal immigrants.
“ICE is aware that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperation with federal immigration authorities will erode trust with immigrant communities and make it difficult for local law enforcement to serve these populations.'' “However, 'sanctuary' policies can end up sheltering dangerous criminals who often end up victimizing immigrants in the same communities.” .
It also highlighted DHS' efforts to eliminate illegal immigration, stating, “From mid-May 2023 to the end of July 2024, DHS will deport more than 893,600 people, including more than 138,300 family members.” The majority of all individuals encountered at immigration have been removed, returned, or expelled from the southwest border in the past three years.
For more information on the border security crisis, click here
The Biden administration has prioritized eliminating public safety and national security threats in its narrowly announced priorities for 2021, but critics have linked these priorities to a decline in ICE removals. There is.
Republicans blame the border crisis on the administration's policies, including reversing President Trump's policies restricting “catch-and-release.”
The administration says it needs more funding and reforms from Congress, including a bipartisan Senate bill introduced this year. The bill would increase the number of ICE detention beds, but critics of the administration point to numbers showing that not all beds are currently occupied.
Asked about the increase in non-custodial records this summer, the White House press secretary pointed to the bill.
“Congressional Republicans had an opportunity to support the fairest and toughest set of reforms in decades, but they chose to prioritize partisan political interests over fixing our immigration system and securing our borders.” said the spokesperson. “Congressional Republicans have proven they don't care about securing the border because, frankly, they would have supported a bipartisan agreement if they had done so.”
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The release of the data came during Harris' visit to Arizona's southern border. Harris blames former President Trump for the border bill's failure to pass, and is trying to portray herself as being tougher on the border than former President Trump.
“Donald Trump introduced legislation to improve border security just to win this election,” she said Friday. “As I have demonstrated throughout my career, I have no intention of backing away from our plans to make our borders more secure.”
FOX News' Bill Melgin contributed to this report.
