More than 120 convicted criminals who were supposed to be deported from the U.S. after they were released from custody between 2010-2014 face murder charges, new Immigration and Customs Enforcement data show.
“Between FY 2010 and FY 2014, there were 121 unique criminal aliens who had an active case at the time of release and were subsequently charged with homicide-related offenses. Of these 121 individuals who were bonded out, 33 were released on a bond set by [The Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review] and 24 were released pursuant to the Supreme Court decision in Zadvydas v. Davis,” ICE revealed in a newly released letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
According to Grassley and National Interest Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the news is “disturbing.”
In a letter dated Friday to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Grassley and Sessions point out that the murders are the shocking tip of the iceberg.
“This disturbing fact follows ICE’s admission that, of the 36,007 criminal aliens it released from ICE custody in FY 2013, 1,000 have been re-convicted of additional crimes in the short time since their release,” Grassley and Sessions wrote.
“I am writing to ask whether the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the State Department, and the Justice Department are fully leveraging existing tools and resources to prevent these dangerous outcomes,” they add.
The pair went on to ask detailed questions of each agency head about such releases, including detailing the decisions behind releasing such criminals in advance of their deportations and efforts to get countries to take back the nationals the U.S. is seeking to deport.
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