Attrition through Enforcement

Article subtitle: 
New Report Finds Lax Immigration Enforcement has led to More Crime
Article publisher: 
NumbersUSA
Article date: 
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Article category: 
Crime
Medium
Article Body: 

A report issued today by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) has found that criminal illegal aliens released by the Obama Administration's lax enforcement of immigration laws committed more crimes after their release, including murder, rape, kidnapping and child molestation.

The CRS completed the report using data obtained by the House Judiciary Committee last fall after the Committee learned that the Administration would release certain illegal aliens detected through the Secure Communities program. Secure Communities is a program that checks individuals booked into local jails with immigration data on file with DHS. The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed DHS to release the data.

The key findings of the report include:

- The data provided to the House Judiciary Committee by DHS includes 276,412 records of charges against illegal and criminal immigrants identified by Secure Communities between October 27, 2008 and July 31, 2011. There are 159,286 unique individuals in the database and 205,101 unique arrest incidents.

- Of those released, CRS found that about 17% of illegal and criminal immigrants, or 26,412, were rearrested on criminal charges. These 26,412 recidivists accounted for a total of 42,827 arrests and 57,763 alleged violations.

- The categories of crimes charged include nearly 8,500 DUI (14.6%), over 6,000 Drug Violations (10.9%), more than 4,000 Major Criminal Offenses (7.1%), which includes murder, assault, battery, rape, and kidnapping, nearly 3,000 Theft (4.9%), and over 1,000 Other Violent Crimes (2.1%), which includes carjacking, child cruelty, child molestation, domestic abuse, lynching, stalking, and torture.

- These crimes committed by both illegal and legal immigrants include 59 murders, 21 attempted murders, and 542 sex crimes.

- Of those rearrested, nearly 30%, or 7,283, were illegal immigrants. Since 46,734 illegal immigrants were released, this means they have a recidivism rate of 16%. These illegal immigrants should have been deported but the Obama administration’s lax immigration policies released them back into our communities.

- The crimes charged against these illegal immigrants include nearly 2,000 DUI (11.9%), over 1,400 drug violations (8.8%), and more than 1,000 major criminal offenses and violent crimes (6.9%), including murder, assault, battery, rape, kidnapping, child molestation, domestic abuse, lynching, stalking, and torture.

- These crimes committed by illegal immigrants include 19 murders, 3 attempted murders, and 142 sex crimes.

"President Obama’s reckless amnesty agenda is dangerous and deadly for Americans," House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith said. "Rather than protect the American people he was elected to serve, President Obama has imposed a policy that allows thousands of illegal immigrants to be released into our communities. They have committed thousands of more crimes, including 19 murders, 3 attempted murders, and 142 sex crimes, which could have been avoided.

"For example, after an illegal immigrant was released, he and another illegal immigrant were arrested on suspicion of killing a man. And this is just one case. Illegal immigrants released from jail have committed other crimes, including nearly 2,000 DUI, over 1,400 drug violations, and more than 1,000 major criminal offenses and violent crimes, which consist of murder, assault, battery, rape, kidnapping, child molestation, domestic abuse, lynching, stalking, and torture.

"The Obama administration could have prevented these senseless crimes by enforcing our immigration laws. But President Obama continues to further his anti-enforcement agenda while innocent Americans suffer the consequences. His unwillingness to enforce immigration laws puts our communities at risk and costs American lives. We elect leaders to protect us – not put us in danger."