Over 13,000 immigrants convicted of homicide are living freely in the United States outside of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, according to recent data.
ICE has placed these individuals on its “non-detained” docket, which currently holds over 662,000 convicted criminal immigrants, as NBC News reports.
The non-detained docket, where cases remain pending, includes convicted immigrants who are not detained for reasons like serving time in prison or a lack of resources to locate them. In some cases, ICE is simply unaware of their exact status due to limited data sharing between federal, state, and local agencies, according to two law enforcement officials.
As of July, the data shows that ICE’s non-detained docket now includes more than 662,000 immigrants who have been convicted of various crimes, including homicides. This figure was highlighted in a letter sent by Acting ICE Director P.J. Lechleitner in response to a request from Representative Tony Gonzales in March.
Many of these convicted immigrants, including those with serious offenses, may have entered the U.S. long before the current administration. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) clarified that the data spans over four decades, and some individuals have never been in contact with ICE due to the circumstances of their entry and arrest.
In a statement to NBC News, a DHS spokesman explained, "The data in this letter is being misinterpreted. The data goes back decades; it includes people who entered the country over the past 40 years or more, the vast majority of whose custody determination was made long before this administration."
ICE’s ability to locate and arrest convicted criminals is hindered by limited resources. With more than 7.5 million immigrants on the non-detained docket, ICE officials struggle to prioritize individuals for detention. Many migrants, even those convicted of serious crimes, are released by state and local authorities without notification to ICE. This issue is particularly common in sanctuary cities, where cooperation with ICE is restricted.
Lechleitner also mentioned that some jurisdictions are beginning to reconsider their sanctuary policies due to the growing focus on crimes committed by migrants. However, the challenge of coordinating with local law enforcement remains significant, as many agencies do not consistently share data with ICE. Complicating matters further, Border Patrol agents often lack access to migrants' full criminal histories at the time of their apprehension. This can result in dangerous individuals entering the U.S. without sufficient scrutiny or tracking.
Former President Donald Trump used the latest data to criticize the current administration during a campaign stop in Michigan. Trump stated, “These are hard, tough, vicious criminals that are free to roam in our country.” He emphasized that many of the immigrants now under ICE’s non-detained docket crossed into the U.S. during previous administrations. Despite this, Trump pointed to the current situation as evidence of what he calls the administration’s failure to handle the issue of immigration properly.
The White House has not yet commented on the ICE data or Trump’s remarks. However, the issue of criminal immigrants living in the U.S. without detention has reignited debates about border security and the effectiveness of current immigration policies.
The ongoing problem of non-detained criminal immigrants is not new. A report from 2016 found that 368,000 criminal immigrants were living outside ICE detention, a figure that has increased significantly over the years. As of 2021, that number had already grown to over 400,000.
The most recent figure, over 662,000 as of July 2023, reflects the growing complexity of immigration enforcement in the U.S. and the challenges ICE faces in detaining individuals who pose potential risks to public safety. Some of these individuals, including the 13,000 convicted of homicide, may have been living in the country for decades. ICE agents, like those in Maryland recently profiled by NBC News, continue to work diligently to locate and arrest convicted criminals at large. However, the manpower required for these efforts often exceeds the agency's capacity.
The revelation that more than 13,000 immigrants convicted of homicide are living freely in the U.S. has drawn attention to the broader issue of immigration enforcement.
With over 662,000 convicted criminal immigrants currently on ICE’s non-detained docket, the scope of the challenge facing ICE is massive. Limited resources and cooperation with local agencies hinder the agency’s ability to locate and detain dangerous individuals, many of whom may have entered the country decades ago. The debate over how best to manage this complex issue continues, with both current and former administrations facing scrutiny.
