Of 2,059 criminal immigrants arrested in a recent nationwide sweep, 23 were beneficiaries of President Obama’s 2012 amnesty, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, according to DHS.
The nearly two dozen illegal immigrants had been shielded from deportation by DACA, and while all 23 had been part of the program eight failed to get their status renewed, meaning that 15 of the arrested criminal aliens were current DACA recipients, the Washington Times reported Thursday.
The so-called Dreamers were picked up in a criminal sweep called “Operation Cross Check” earlier this month.
“This nationwide operation led to the apprehension of more than 2,000 convicted criminal aliens who pose the greatest risk to our public safety,” Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said at the time. “Today, communities around the country are safer because of the great work of the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
According to The Washington Times, 14 of the 15 DACA recipients were convicted of crimes after receiving their deferred status. The 15th had yet to be convicted.
The others who were not current DACA beneficiaries, The Times reports, lost their status for varying reasons. Two had their renewals denied because of their criminal record, three were expelled from the program due to their crimes, and another failed to pay a processing fee. Two others simply did not apply for renewal.
The news comes as the Obama administration appeals a district court’s ruling temporarily blocking the president’s most recent unilateral expansions of amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, in the case of 26 states challenging the executive actions.
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