The deputy director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says despite the country’s “broken immigration system,” noncitizens are being removed and returned at “record numbers.”
In a letter sent to U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, of Texas, last week, Patrick J. Lechleitner provided data highlighting the troubles faced along the southern border and the number of noncitizens being removed.
As of July, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national docket, Lechleitner said. Of those, 435,719 are convicted criminals and 226,847 have pending criminal charges, he added.
More than 100,000 illegal immigrants — convicted criminals and those pending criminal charges — who have been charged with assault are not being detained.
More than 30,000 charged with a sex-natured offense are out on the street, while 14,000-plus are not detained on homicide charges, and over 70,000 charged on dangerous drug offenses are also out, according to the data.
“ICE recognizes that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperating with federal immigration officials will erode trust with immigrant communities and make it harder for local law enforcement to serve those populations,” Lechleitner wrote in his letter to Gonzales. “However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimize those same communities.”
From mid-May 2023 through the end of July 2024, the Department of Homeland Security has returned more than 893,600 illegal immigrants, including more than 138,300 individuals in family units, figures show. Lechleitner wrote that the majority of noncitizens looking to cross the southern border have been “removed, returned or expelled” over the past three years.
“We are removing and returning record numbers of migrants who are unable to establish a legal basis to remain in the United States,” he wrote, “and prioritizing for removal those who present national security and public safety risks, and recent border crossers.”
