Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials report a criminal immigrant recidivism rate of 50 percent, according to Center for Immigration Studies expert Jessica Vaughan.
“What I’m told by ICE officials — and I’ve been told on a number of occasions — is that they believe, from their internal data, is there is a recidivism rate of about 50 percent of criminal aliens who are released by ICE –,” Vaughan testified before the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday.
She didn’t finish the sentence because Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) — a committee member questioning Vaughan — expressed shock at the figure and interrupted her.
“50 percent? Half will commit additional crimes against innocent Americans?” he asked.
“Right,” Vaughan replied, “and that’s both criminal aliens released by ICE and also those criminal aliens who are released by local law enforcement agencies that want to obstruct immigration enforcement by not honoring detainers,”
Vaughan noted that, based on the approximately 36,000 criminal aliens who were release in 2013, a lower percentage — 16 percent — of them went on to be arrested again by local law enforcement agencies.
Later in the hearing Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) returned to the high recidivism rate.
“I heard testimony earlier that about 50 percent of those illegally here after being released without being deported commit crimes against other Americans. I know when I was a judge, when I was considering bail or bond. That was a primary consideration. The likelihood of them returning and the public safety,” Gohmert said.
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