U.S. Frees 36,007 Illegal Aliens With Serious Criminal Convictions

Besides implementing a flagrant amnesty plan that defies Congress and the rule of law, the Obama administration freed tens of thousands of illegal immigrants convicted of violent and serious crimes last year, according to the government’s own records.

The crimes committed by illegal aliens released from federal custody include homicide, sexual assault, theft, kidnapping and alcohol-related driving convictions. In all, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) freed 36,007 aliens convicted of 88,000 crimes from detention centers throughout the United States, according the breathtaking agency records, which were obtained this month by a nonpartisan research center dedicated to studying immigration issues.

The Washington D.C.-based group, Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), published a chart with a breakdown of the crimes committed by the illegal aliens who now roam freely in unsuspecting U.S. neighborhoods. Of interesting note is that the majority of the releases from ICE custody were discretionary, CIS found, which means they weren’t required by law. In some instances the releases were actually contrary to law and local illegal immigrant sanctuary policies did not play a role in the vast majority. This indicates that it’s part of the Obama administration’s broader amnesty policy, which has favored letting illegal aliens live outside detention centers while their cases get resolved.

Let’s take a look at the breakdown of crimes committed by this latest batch of freed illegal aliens. The records show that more than 16,000 were convicted of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Over 9,000 had dangerous drug convictions, 1,075 were convicted of aggravated assault, 426 of sexual assault and 193 of homicide. Additionally, the records show that 1,160 of the freed illegal immigrants had stolen vehicle convictions, 303 kidnapping convictions and 303 flight escape convictions.

Thousands of others were convicted of lesser crimes that are nevertheless serious enough to merit detention if you’re already in the country illegally. Those offenses include extortion, embezzlement, arson, domestic violence, property crimes, larceny, burglary, intimidation, obstructing police, weapon offenses, forgery, obstructing the judiciary and a variety of fraud. Those who take the time to read the entire list may find it difficult to imagine that the government would even consider freeing these offenders.

Incredibly, it’s not the first time this happens. The feds previously released 68,000 different criminal aliens encountered by ICE officers in jails that were let go instead of processed for deportation, according to records obtained by CIS. This latest batch of 36,007 is a group of aliens who were being processed for removal and were freed while awaiting the final disposition of their cases. Despite their serious criminal convictions, they were released by means of bond, order of recognizance, order of supervision, parole or alternative detention such as an ankle bracelet.

“The document raises questions about the Obama administration’s management of enforcement resources, as well as its enforcement plans and priorities,” CIS logically concludes. As examples, the group offers a recent ICE directive (prosecutorial discretion) and policy (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) which make broad categories of illegal immigrants immune to enforcement. “These policies have forced ICE officers in the field to avoid or cease deportation action in thousands of cases, even in cases of aliens charged with or convicted of crimes,” CIS reveals.

This is hardly the first time that the government rewards illegal immigrants with serious criminal records. Last summer Judicial Watch reported that legislation crafted by the bipartisan Gang of Eight in the U.S. Senate would grant amnesty to illegal aliens with drunk-driving, domestic violence, aggravated assault and child abuse convictions. In its report JW noted that groups that would normally be vocal on these sorts of issues remained silent. As an example we offered the nation’s largest organization working to stop drunk driving and support victims of the violent crime—Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)—which refused to criticize the proposed law even though it will essentially reward those convicted of driving dunk. Through a spokeswoman, MADD said it “doesn’t get involved in immigration matters.”