ICE released 68,000 illegal aliens with criminal convictions in 2013

[UncleBeer 244]

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials last year released 68,000 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, undercutting Democratic claims that President Obama has strictly enforced immigration laws.

An internal Department of Homeland Security document compiling statistics on arrests and deportations in 2013 showed that ICE agents encountered 193,357 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions but issued charging documents for only 125,478. More than 67,800 were released.

The data came from an end-of-year “Weekly Departures and Detention Report.”

The Center for Immigration Studies, a research group that favors stricter enforcement of immigration laws, estimates ICE agents released more than a third of illegal immigrants with criminal records they detained.

“ICE released 68,000 criminal aliens in 2013, or 35 percent of the criminal aliens encountered by officers. The vast majority of these releases occurred because of the Obama administration’s prosecutorial discretion policies,” Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, wrote in a memo summarizing the DHS document.

ICE classifies illegal immigrants as criminal if they have been convicted of a crime, not including traffic offense, Vaughn noted.

Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee, blasted the administration’s record.

“The preponderance of the evidence demonstrates that immigration enforcement in America has collapsed. Even those with criminal convictions are being released. DHS is a department in crisis,” he said in a statement Sunday.

“Secretary Johnson must reject the president’s demands to weaken enforcement further and tell him that his duty, and his officers’ duty, is to enforce the law – not break it,” he added in reference to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.

A spokeswoman for ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Advocacy groups on both sides of the immigration debate have fired salvos back and forth over Obama’s track record enforcing the law.

Republicans say they cannot trust Obama to enforce the law and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) cited that as an obstacle to passing immigration reform through the House.

Pro-immigrant groups argue Obama has enforced the law too zealously.

Janet Murguía, the president of the National Council of La Raza, called Obama the “deporter-in-chief” earlier this month.

Senate Democrats such as Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) have called on Obama to halt the deportations of illegal immigrants who are immediate family members of U.S. citizens.

The Center for Immigration Studies reports that ICE officials moved to deport 28 percent fewer illegal immigrants from the interior of the country in 2013 than in 2012.

The group obtained the law enforcement records through a lawsuit.

Please remind me why all of us here on this forum are paying thousands of dollars, following all the rules, filing all the forms, fretting about "police reports", waiting patiently sometimes for years etc. while the preznit simply opens the door for illegal aliens with serious criminal records?

[Darnell 8,478]

Oh, I could remind you,

but the answer would be verra painful.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Please remind me why all of us here on this forum are paying thousands of dollars, following all the rules, filing all the forms, fretting about "police reports", waiting patiently sometimes for years etc. while the preznit simply opens the door for illegal aliens with serious criminal records?

Well said... I have found it strange that so many members on this forum support illegal's while we went through the immigration process ourselves. Only answer is ... Undocumented Democrats.......the base must be maintained at all cost... No matter how destructive.it is to our country.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Yes, yes, the undocumented Democrats line. Can someone please show me how many of these illegal aliens voted?

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Oh the selective outrage! Highly predictable!

"The 2006 report also says: “Currently, (Detention and Removal Operations) is unable to ensure the departure from the U.S. of all removable aliens. Of the 774,112 illegal aliens apprehended during the past three years, 280,987 (36%) were released largely due to a lack of personnel, bed space, and funding needed to detain illegal aliens while their immigration status is being adjudicated. " partial quote from article.

- See more at: http://m.cnsnews.com/news/article/ice-has-released-more-8000-criminal-illegal-aliens-us-2009#sthash.vZitdcMb.dpuf

Edited March 31, 2014 by ready4ONE

[Danno 1,228]

Well said... I have found it strange that so many members on this forum support illegal's while we went through the immigration process ourselves. Only answer is ... Undocumented Democrats.......the base must be maintained at all cost... No matter how destructive.it is to our country.

Well now, "Destructive to the country" is rather subjective.

One mans destruction is another mans progress.

Isn't this what history has taught.

For instance for some, increasing the number of people on food stamps shows we "care" more.

To other it proves the economy sucks.

These things are all based on how you look at it.

Many of us are embarrassed at how weak we now appear around the world now.... to others it unleashes the need for more defense spending... which is always a good thing for some.

Illegals pouring in keeps wages low which continues the need for the poverty-industry and a whole host of other jobs related programs.

Then at the same time the same gang gets to pretend they case about the Low-wage American worker.

[UncleBeer 244]

Oh the selective outrage! Highly predictable!

"The 2006 report also says: “Currently, (Detention and Removal Operations) is unable to ensure the departure from the U.S. of all removable aliens. Of the 774,112 illegal aliens apprehended during the past three years, 280,987 (36%) were released largely due to a lack of personnel, bed space, and funding needed to detain illegal aliens while their immigration status is being adjudicated. " partial quote from article.

- See more at: http://m.cnsnews.com/news/article/ice-has-released-more-8000-criminal-illegal-aliens-us-2009#sthash.vZitdcMb.dpuf

Thank you for your quote of an eight year old (2006) report; wholly irrelevant to today's discussion.

[Pooky 3,781]

Oh the selective outrage! Highly predictable!

What selective outrage?

That the BushBaby administration failed in this regard is immaterial. I still argued against illegal immigration when he was President.

The problem is not a Democrat or Republican issue. The problem is a Washington issue.

[Peikko 1,575]

What selective outrage?

That the BushBaby administration failed in this regard is immaterial. I still argued against illegal immigration when he was President.

The problem is not a Democrat or Republican issue. The problem is a Washington issue.

The problem is one of cost and the fact that being undocumented is not in and of itself an act of criminality, mostly because the US by and large adheres to the bill of human rights. It's not an issue that makes me lose any sleep or would influence me to vote at all. It is what it is.

Well said... I have found it strange that so many members on this forum support illegal's while we went through the immigration process ourselves. Only answer is ... Undocumented Democrats.......the base must be maintained at all cost... No matter how destructive.it is to our country.

Yes, we all support illegals because we are libruls and vote democrat and want the US to become a communist state. The sky will fall, you will be under it when that happens. Good luck!

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

Yes, yes, the undocumented Democrats line. Can someone please show me how many of these illegal aliens voted?

Kind of hard to give numbers when (to quote the Democratic leadership talking to the New York Times) Requiring people to prove citizenship to vote makes it too difficult to register to vote. You are asking for a number that we are not allowed to know and using that non-knowledge as proof that the problem does not exist.

I don't think vote fraud from illegals or the non-dead has ever made a difference in an election... I'd like the confidence to know that will always be true by having safeguards in place to make sure all votes are from those eligible to do so. We require the same type of documentation to do things like get a passport or drivers license... We don't let the "Its too hard!" excuse fly there.. why with voting?

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Why with voting? Because of the voting rights act.

[Peikko 1,575]

Kind of hard to give numbers when (to quote the Democratic leadership talking to the New York Times) Requiring people to prove citizenship to vote makes it too difficult to register to vote. You are asking for a number that we are not allowed to know and using that non-knowledge as proof that the problem does not exist.

I don't think vote fraud from illegals or the non-dead has ever made a difference in an election... I'd like the confidence to know that will always be true by having safeguards in place to make sure all votes are from those eligible to do so. We require the same type of documentation to do things like get a passport or drivers license... We don't let the "Its too hard!" excuse fly there.. why with voting?

I'd suggest you read your US constitution. The right to vote is universal, and restrictions are few and far between to prevent, GOVERNMENT SUPPRESSION. You might find it interesting. Of course, you might not.

[Novembro 1,763]

Well said... I have found it strange that so many members on this forum support illegal's while we went through the immigration process ourselves. Only answer is ... Undocumented Democrats.......the base must be maintained at all cost... No matter how destructive.it is to our country.

I knew you and UncleBeer would find each other, cross swords, and become besties.

T'was destiny.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

Thank you for your quote of an eight year old (2006) report; wholly irrelevant to today's discussion.

Actually it was wholly relevant. SSDD, but sure, now the sky is falling.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

What selective outrage?

That the BushBaby administration failed in this regard is immaterial. I still argued against illegal immigration when he was President.

The problem is not a Democrat or Republican issue. The problem is a Washington issue.

Sorry Pooky, you are on occasion brilliant in your posts, however Lostinblue was the specific target of my selective outrage comment, and not removing all removable illegals vastly pre-dates even George W Bush. But no amount of clever wordsmithing can salvage Losts post.

It is really larger than even a Washington issue as well. You have a point there, but it would be cost prohibitive to achieve 100% ejection, especially when so many ejected are back before the ink on their paperwork is fully dry.

Edited April 1, 2014 by ready4ONE