McALLEN, Texas ( Border Report ) — The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement told a Texas border lawmaker this week that 435,000 undocumented migrants with criminal convictions have been released by the agency to cities around the United States.
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ICE Deputy Director Patrick Lechleitner sent a letter Wednesday to U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, saying as of July 21, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on the agency’s non-detained docket (NDD), meaning they are not detained while they await immigration proceedings.
“Of those, 435,719 are convicted criminals, and 226,847 have pending criminal charges,” Lechleitner wrote .
The letter was sent after Gonzales in March asked the Department of Homeland Security for data on migrants with criminal backgrounds. Gonzales is a member of the GOP-led House Homeland Security Committee.
“The data released by ICE is beyond disturbing, and it should be a wake-up call for the Biden-Harris administration and cities across the country that hide behind sanctuary policies,” Gonzales said Friday. “It’s time for Washington to move past rhetoric and toward results. Americans deserve to feel safe in their communities.