Democrat sheriffs are increasingly shielding criminal illegal aliens from arrest and deportation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, newly released data shows.
For years now, Democrats nationwide have sought to roll back ICE’s 287(g) program, which helps local law enforcement swiftly turn criminal illegal aliens over to ICE custody.
The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) obtained arrest and ICE cooperation data from Gwinnett County, Georgia, where Democrat Sheriff Keybo Taylor has dismantled the community’s 287(g) agreement with ICE — as he promised to do.
The data reveals that thanks to Taylor’s ending cooperation with ICE, criminal illegal aliens are likely being released back into the community at a higher rate, rather than being turned over to ICE agents for arrest and deportation.
In 2020, for instance, about 1,652 illegal aliens were turned over to ICE by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office. In 2021, the number of illegal aliens turned over to ICE dropped by more than 85 percent to just 240.
Similarly, the data shows that Gwinnett County handed over about 240 illegal aliens charged with felonies in 2020, but that figure dropped to just 27 illegal aliens charged with felonies turned over to ICE in 2021.
“This data should outrage the residents of Gwinnett County,” IRLI Executive Director Dale Wilcox said. “Sheriff Taylor has kept his campaign promise, and it has made the county far more dangerous. Americans need to reject these woke sheriffs and their disastrous policies.”
Illegal aliens charged with drug trafficking, likewise, were turned over by the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office at a much lower rate last year. In 2020, about 31 illegal aliens charged with drug trafficking were turned over to ICE. The following year, just four were turned over to ICE.
The same occurred for illegal aliens accused of rape. While 14 were turned over to ICE in 2020, only two were turned over to ICE in 2021. As for illegal aliens charged with drunk driving, nearly 300 were turned over to ICE in 2020. In 2021, only two were turned over to ICE — a 99 percent drop in those accused of drunk driving being turned over to ICE.
While illegal aliens accused of murder were previously turned over to ICE, no illegal aliens accused of murder were handed over to the agency in 2021.
Last year, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that he would limit ICE’s use of the 287(g) program with local law enforcement agencies as part of the Biden administration’s larger efforts to gut interior immigration enforcement.
Previous research by IRLI found that two North Carolina counties which ended their cooperation with ICE subsequently saw spikes in violent crime.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.