ICE Responds to Errors in Declined Detainer Report

Immigration officials temporarily suspended the report that exposes sanctuary cities and the criminals subject to detainers they release.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials temporarily suspended the Declined Detainer Outcome Report (DDOR) as they attempt to refine the data reporting process. The report details information about sanctuary jurisdictions, their policies, and the criminal aliens ICE officers have placed under immigration detainers. “ICE remains committed to publishing the most accurate information available regarding declined detainers across the country and continues to analyze and refine its reporting methodologies,” ICE Spokesperson Sarah Rodriguez wrote in an email responding to questions submitted by Breitbart Texas.

“The DDOR has already sparked important conversations between ICE and law enforcement agencies across the nation, and the revised report will add to this discussion,” Rodriguez explained. “ICE continues to collaborate with all law enforcement agencies to help ensure that aliens who may pose a threat to our communities are not released onto the streets to potentially re-offend and harm individuals living within our communities. However, in some cases, state or local laws, ordinances or policies restrict or prohibit cooperation with ICE. In other cases, jurisdictions choose to willfully decline ICE detainers or requests for notification and release criminals back into the community.”

ICE officials received pushback from some jurisdictions incorrectly reported as having released criminal aliens under detainers in the first series of reports. In the initial document covering January 28-February 3, Texas led the nation with released criminal aliens. The report listed Travis, Bastrop, and Williamson Counties and the state’s jail facility as having released 149 of the 206 released criminal aliens for that week, Breitbart Texas reported.

Breitbart Texas learned that the criminal aliens reportedly released by Bastrop and Williamson Counties were actually transferred to Travis County. Sheriff “Sanctuary Sally” Hernandez subsequently released the criminal aliens.

ICE officials acknowledged the errors in the report and issued the following statement concerning accuracy issues:

Correction: Due to a data processing error, the Jan. 28 – Feb 03, 2017 Declined Detainer Outcome Report incorrectly attributed issued detainers to Franklin County, Iowa; Franklin County, New York; Franklin County, Pennsylvania; and Montgomery County, Iowa that were in fact issued to agencies outside of the respective county’s jurisdiction in similarly named locations. Additionally, detainers that appeared as being declined by Williamson County, TX and Bastrop County, TX were cases where the individual was transferred to another facility where they were released. Finally, detainers appeared as being declined by Chester County, PA and Richmond County, NC when those detainers were incorrectly issued to those locations. The subjects of those detainers were in different locations.

Rodriguez stressed the importance of the report and exposing sanctuary jurisdictions that are releasing criminal aliens subject to removal. “When criminal aliens are released from local or state custody, they have the opportunity to reoffend,” Rodriguez explained. “There are also many risks and uncertainties involved when apprehending dangerous criminal aliens at-large in the community. It takes careful planning and extensive resources to mitigate those risks and make a safe apprehension in a community setting. It is much safer for all involved – the community, law enforcement, and even the criminal alien – if ICE officers take custody in the controlled environment of another law enforcement agency.”

ICE officials have not announced a planned resumption date for the DDOR.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.