drugs

Criminal immigrants reoffend at higher rates than ICE has suggested

They were among the nation’s top priorities for deportation, criminals who were supposed to be sent back to their home countries. But instead they were released, one by one, in secret across the United States. Federal officials said that many of the criminals posed little threat to the public, but did little to verify whether that was true.

It wasn’t.

A Globe review of 323 criminals released in New England from 2008 to 2012 found that as many as 30 percent committed new offenses, including rape, attempted murder, and child molestation — a rate that is markedly higher than Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have suggested to Congress in the past.

The names of these criminals have never before been made public and are coming to light now only because the Globe sued the federal government for the list of criminals immigration authorities returned to neighborhoods across the country. A judge ordered the names released in 2013, and the Globe then undertook the work that the federal government didn’t, scouring court records to find out how many released criminals reoffended.

The Globe has also published, in conjunction with this story, a searchable database of the thousands of names that were disclosed to the news organization, so that crime victims, law enforcement officials, and managers of sex offender registries — who are often unaware of these releases — can find out if the criminals may still be in the United States.

The review does not indicate that immigrants are any more likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans — and in fact studies have shown that not to be the case. But the review reveals the damage inflicted on victims by criminals who were ordered to be deported when their sentences were complete, and were not, and it raises questions about how the government handled their cases.

The public rarely learns about ICE’s decisions to release criminals until something goes wrong — because immigration is the only law enforcement system in the United States that keeps such records secret.

ICE maintains that immigration records are generally private, and therefore exempt from disclosure under federal law. But others say the public should know who is making these decisions and why.

“There’s a serious question of who ICE represents. Who do they work for?” said Chester Fairlie, a lawyer for the mother of Casey Chadwick, a Connecticut woman murdered last year by a released criminal — a case that is intensifying calls for reform in ICE. “Public safety should trump any claim of privilege or confidentiality. It doesn’t come from statute. It doesn’t come from law. It comes from ICE deciding that that’s how it’s going to do things.”

Immigration officials have long insisted that the decision to release criminals — some of whom initially came to this country legally — is often out of their hands because the Supreme Court ruled in 2001 that the government cannot jail immigrants indefinitely. If immigration officials cannot deport them after six months, the court said, they should generally set them free.

“So to sit there and say that the proud women and men of law enforcement in ICE are choosing to release criminals is absolutely unforgivable,” ICE Director Sarah Saldaña told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in April, after lawmakers grilled her about releasing criminals in the United States. “And they do not go around trying to put criminals on the street.”

But often, that’s where they end up.

The Globe found that a Massachusetts man was supposed to be deported after he served jail time for bashing his ex-girlfriend on the head with a hammer — but ICE released him in October 2009. Three months later, he found the ex-girlfriend and stabbed her repeatedly. A Rhode Island man who had served prison time for a home invasion was also released from immigration detention in 2009; five years later, he was arrested for attacking his former girlfriend. In 2010, ICE released a man with a lengthy criminal record in Maine; a few months later he grabbed a man outside a 7-Eleven, held a knife to the man’s throat, and robbed him.

Some members of Congress appear to be losing patience with ICE’s argument that it is powerless to stop these releases. Critics say ICE could seek civil commitment for mentally ill immigrants who commit crimes, arrest reoffenders, and ask the Department of State to use diplomatic means to punish nations such as Haiti, China, and Jamaica when they refuse to take back their own citizens.

At the House oversight hearing on April 28, committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican, said ICE’s decisions to release criminals who can’t be deported are leading to thousands of preventable crimes, according to ICE’s own statistics. The recent reoffenses include more than 130 murders or attempted murders since 2010, according to a letter ICE provided in February to Senator Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

“What’s going on with Immigration and Customs Enforcement is one of the most infuriating things I think I’ve seen in this government yet,” Chaffetz said. To Saldaña, he added, after referring to crime victims in these cases, “How do you look those people in the eye?”

The Globe’s review was limited to the 323 immigrants released in New England between 2008 and 2012.

To calculate the recidivism rate in New England, the Globe scoured public police logs, Internet databases, and news media reports from Maine to southern Connecticut to identify the courts where criminal convictions occurred. Then the Globe traveled to or called the court houses to request records. The effort took three years, because most courts in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine do not have online databases where the public can search for records.

The public records in criminal courts made it possible to scrutinize an immigration system that rarely opens its files to the public — or even to US lawmakers.

For instance, the public did not know that ICE had struggled to deport Jean Jacques to Haiti in 2012, after he served time for attempted murder in Connecticut. ICE said in an e-mail that the agency repeatedly tried to deport Jacques, but had to release him when Haiti refused to accept him back to his home country. Then in 2015, he fatally stabbed 25-year-old Casey Chadwick of Norwich, Conn., and stuffed her body in a closet. A jury convicted him of murder in April.

Chadwick’s death outraged lawmakers, who said they got few answers from the federal immigration system about the handling of Jacques’ case. Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal and two other Democrats called for an inquiry by Homeland Security’s inspector general.

“It is unacceptable that ICE failed to remove a convicted attempted murderer subject to a final deportation order — a measure that would have saved the life of Casey Chadwick,” Blumenthal and others said in a statement in January. “ICE’s responses thus far to our repeated inquiries into this case have been incomplete and unsatisfactory, and we hope that this independent inquiry will finally uncover the facts surrounding this tragedy, enabling reforms necessary to ensure that this never happens again.”

Clear answers are hard to come by in a system that aggressively keeps its records from the public.

For example, ICE had insisted in court records that reoffenders were “isolated examples.” To Congress, ICE officials suggested that reoffenders were rare, less than 10 percent.

But the reoffender rate among the immigrants on the Globe’s list is clearly much higher, at 30 percent.

Jessica Vaughan, director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, which favors limiting immigration, said she believes the reoffender rate is probably even higher, given the Globe’s limited access to immigrants’ criminal histories. Some names, for instance, were too common to verify against court records. She said the government should track the rate itself.

“This is exactly what the government should be doing to evaluate the impact of its own policy, to make sure that it’s not causing harm,” she said. “They shouldn’t be doing this blindly without taking the time to evaluate the effects of the policy, the public safety consequences.”

Immigration officials acknowledge they have not calculated a recidivism rate, but say they are “working to provide this data.”

“ICE is committed to continually improving the agency’s ability to track and manage ever evolving agency-related data, but the agency does not have statistically reliable information on recidivism rates prior to FY13,” ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer said in an e-mail.

Immigration officials have also pointed out that they are increasingly focusing on deporting criminals, which they argue is likely to contribute to a lower recidivism rate.

Since 2008, ICE has deported hundreds of thousands of criminals. During the last fiscal year, 59 percent of the immigrants they deported had been convicted of at least one crime. And ICE officials say they are constantly pressing other countries to take back their citizens. Some of the released criminals were later taken back into custody and deported.

But ICE has also released tens of thousands of criminals in the United States — and in far greater numbers than they have disclosed to the Globe.

ICE told the news organization that the agency freed 12,941 criminals nationwide from 2008 to early 2014.

But Saldaña, the ICE director, told the House committee that the agency freed 36,007 criminals in fiscal 2013 alone. They are among 86,288 criminals they released from 2013 to fiscal 2015.

ICE officials said in an e-mail that the agency only provided the Globe the names of criminals they were forced to release under the Supreme Court decision; the additional releases were for other reasons. They did not elaborate, but ICE has told Congress it has also released criminals because of budget constraints, humanitarian reasons, or when an immigration judge ordered a release.

ICE has also suggested in court records that “many” of the criminals they released were traffic violators or other nonviolent offenders. But the news organization’s analysis shows that nationwide, immigration officials freed more convicted killers (201) than traffic violators (116) from 2008 to 2012.

ICE has also told Congress, as recently as May, that just 23 nations were failing to cooperate with deportations.

But ICE records show that as recently as 2016, there were about 140 nations that refused to take back at least some of their citizens, including Armenia, the Bahamas, St. Lucia, and many others.

In New England, about a quarter of the criminals released from 2008 to 2012 were previously convicted of rape, murder, or other violent crimes, based on the criminal histories that ICE provided to the Globe.

Court records show that, for a variety of reasons, some released criminals went on to enjoy privileges that otherwise law-abiding undocumented immigrants usually can’t enjoy, such as obtaining driver’s licenses. Five released criminals were even registered to vote in Massachusetts, putting them in the jury pool. State officials said none had ever voted, and they removed them from the list after being asked about them.

One released criminal thwarted his own deportation three times by kicking and screaming on an airplane bound for his homeland, prompting the pilot to throw him off while they were still on the ground, according to federal court records.

But more troubling are the criminals who left a string of new victims once immigration officials set them free.

In January 2010, a Framingham woman walked out of a Stop & Shop and saw her ex-boyfriend, Oscoe Housen — the same man who had served time for attacking her with a hammer. He was supposed to have been deported to Jamaica, but ICE released him instead.

Early the next morning, Housen broke into the woman’s home and stabbed her and a friend with a large knife as her children slept nearby. Police said they discovered a gruesome scene — the man was bleeding heavily and the woman asked “if she was going to die.” She lived, and Housen, 64, is serving up to 12 years in prison.

ICE also released Nhoeuth Nhim, one of several masked gang members who led a frightening home invasion and robbery in 2000 in Cranston, R.I. The gang used duct tape to bind, gag, and blindfold a family of five, including a 6-year-old. After robbing them of money and jewelry, the gang set a fire in the basement and dragged the family into the flames. The family, hard-working immigrants from Cambodia, all escaped.

After serving prison time, Nhim was supposed to face deportation, but instead ICE released him in 2009 and he returned to Rhode Island, where he later was charged with sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend. He pleaded no contest to felony assault and is in prison.

In 2009, ICE released Bo Kang Me, a 48-year-old Cambodian immigrant with a long criminal record. He was soon rearrested for new crimes and probation violations. But he was free in 2013 when a Providence school let him pick up a child from school, even though he was not authorized to do so. He molested the child and is serving prison time for second-degree child molestation.

ICE had no comment on the cases, but said, “The decisions made in every case are made with the best available information ICE is able to obtain at the time.”

On April 25, ICE unexpectedly sent the Globe a new list of released criminals that showed that 83 percent of the criminals released nationwide from 2012 to 2016 are convicted felons.

Critics say it’s likely that ICE will continue to release serious criminals in the future, but unless the agency changes its privacy policies, there is no guarantee that the public will ever know.

Timeline of the Globe’s lawsuit

It’s nearly a five-year saga.

Search the Globe’s database of criminals

ICE: A snapshot of released criminals who were supposed to be deported

On April 25, Immigration and Customs Enforcement provided an updated look at the criminals it released in the United States from 2012 to February because the agency was unable to deport them. Typically in these cases, foreign countries refuse to repatriate their citizens. ICE says they are forced to release them in the United States because the Supreme Court has barred the agency from jailing immigrants indefinitely. These are the homelands of the criminals released during this period.

SOURCE: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement   Patrick Garvin/GLOBE STAFF

Jeremy C. Fox of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Maria Sacchetti can be reached at maria.sacchetti@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @mariasacchetti. Read more about Criminal immigrants reoffend at higher rates than ICE has suggested

Man sentenced to 6 years for trafficking drugs

An undocumented immigrant was sentenced to federal prison for distributing more than 22 pounds of heroin and methamphetamine found last year during a Central Point traffic stop.

Miguel Angel Reyna-Ramos, 38, was sentenced to 72 months in federal prison Thursday in U.S. District Court in Eugene. He pleaded guilty Jan. 21 to charges of possessing a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

On May 18, 2015, Oregon State Police troopers caught Reyna-Ramos with close to 8 kilograms of methamphetamine and 2 kilograms of heroin in the luggage compartment of the gray Mercury Mountaineer SUV he was driving, which they stopped near Exit 35 on northbound Interstate 5 for a traffic violation. According to a release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, Reyna-Ramos originally declined a request to search the vehicle, but troopers later obtained a search warrant after a narcotics detection dog alerted them to drugs found in the back of the vehicle.

Court documents filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, where the case was originally filed, showed that police believed Reyna-Ramos was acting suspiciously at the time of the traffic stop. He possessed no driver's license, the vehicle was not registered to him and he had multiple cellphones in the vehicle.

Reyna-Ramos later told Medford DEA agents that he was working for a cartel based in Mexico. He told agents he'd been paid between $200 and $300 before to drive cars from his home in Tulare, Calif., to drop-off points near Tacoma, Wash. He told investigators he was instructed by a third party to pick up the SUV from a motel parking lot in Ontario, Calif., and drive to Spanaway, Wash., where he expected to be paid $1,000.

U.S. District Judge Michael McShane said he considered Reyna-Ramos' lack of criminal history in determining the sentence. Because Reyna-Ramos is undocumented, he will likely be deported upon completion of his sentence, the release says.

Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@mailtribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. Read more about Man sentenced to 6 years for trafficking drugs

Gang-related assault in federal prison sends four men back to serve more time

The last of four men who attacked an inmate in federal prison with punches to the back of his head, kicks to his back and strikes with a chair was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in custody.

The victim, identified in court papers only as E.I., suffered a broken jaw, a broken nose and a brain hemorrhage and was hospitalized at Salem Hospital for 2 ½ weeks.

Ten days after the attack, the victim told FBI agents he didn't remember anything about the assault and had no idea who hurt him. But he did recall that he had upset some of the "Southsiders'' when he complained they were trying to act like they wanted to be black, Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Horsley wrote in a sentencing memo.

According to court records, the assault occurred a year ago, the morning of May 31 in a common area of the Federal Correctional Institution in Sheridan.

The victim was sitting at a table watching TV when one of the defendants, Jose Carlos Acosta Jr., gave a hand signal. With that, Acosta, Omar Mendoza, Javier Rodriguez Tijerina Jr. and Victor Alas-Felix converged on the victim. Mendoza struck E.I. in the back of the head with a closed fist, knocking him off his chair. The three others then stomped and kicked him and punched him while he was on the floor. E.I. appeared to be unconscious after the attack and stayed on the floor for a few minutes before he came to.

When he stood and tried to return to his cell, he was attacked a second time. Alas-Felix kicked him hard in the back and Acosta struck E.I. with a plastic chair.

Alas-Felix, 40, ditched his bloody shoes in a trash can near his cell, and they were later recovered.

On Wednesday, U.S. District Chief Justice Michael W. Mosman sentenced Alas-Felix to three years and four months in prison.

Assistant federal public defender Thomas Hester told the court that Alas-Felix had tried to drop out of the Surenos gang, but once the assault was ordered, he feared that if he didn't participate, his life would be threatened as well.

"He isn't saying he should not be punished,''  Hester added.

....Alas-Felix was serving a sentence for illegally entering the United States from Mexico and has other weapons, drugs and burglary convictions.

Alas-Felix, his arms and neck covered in tattoos, is "rather conspicuous,'' ...

Hester argued for a 30-month sentence, while the federal prosecutor urged a 46-month sentence to send a clear message that gang assaults in prison will be seriously punished...

The judge said he was convinced that Alas-Felix had tried to remove himself from gang life behind bars, but Mosman didn't cut him any slack.

"I'm unwilling to judge you by the rules of prison life. It just turns everything upside down,'' Mosman said. "I'm not judging you by the rules of your criminal organization. I'm judging you by the standards of this country where we live.''

The judge asked that Alas-Felix be placed in a federal prison outside of the Western or Southwestern regions of the country and be placed in some type of special housing to isolate him from gang influences.

Alas-Felix's co-defendant Tijerina previously was sentenced to three years and 10 months in prison; Acosta to three years and four months; and Mendoza to two years and two months for the assault. The four also have been ordered to pay a total of $58,811 in restitution to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which paid for the victim's medical expenses.

After serving his sentence, Alas-Felix will be deported to Mexico. Read more about Gang-related assault in federal prison sends four men back to serve more time

27½ pounds of meth lands man in prison

An undocumented immigrant was sentenced Friday to nearly three years in prison after he pleaded no-contest to trafficking a large quantity of methamphetamine with the help of his wife.

Oscar Omar Aguilar-Gomez, 30, had been found in possession of 27½ pounds of methamphetamine seized after a March 31 traffic stop near exit 30 on northbound Interstate 5.

According to an affidavit filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, Oregon State Police troopers noticed multiple air fresheners in use when they pulled over a gray Chevrolet TrailBlazer SUV driven by Aguilar-Gomez's wife, Sara Rosales-Lopez, for exceeding the speed limit and following too closely.

Aguilar-Gomez's court-appointed defense attorney Vance Michael Waliser said the SUV was borrowed from a friend, but according to court records Aguilar-Gomez and Rosales-Lopez were both unsure who owned the vehicle at the time of the traffic stop. After the couple gave troopers consent to search the SUV, troopers found 37 packages of crystal meth in the back below the cargo area.

Waliser said Aguilar-Gomez has lived in California since he was 13 years old and has no prior criminal record. The couple have children together who live in California.

"This is very unfortunate," Waliser said.

Aguilar-Gomez was sentenced to 34 months in prison after entering a no-contest plea to a single charge of delivery of methamphetamine. Waliser sought alternative incarceration programs for Aguilar-Gomez where applicable, which Judge Tim Barnack authorized, but Aguilar-Gomez faces deportation through immigration and customs services.

Rosales-Lopez pleaded guilty April 25 to a felony charge of delivery of methamphetamine in the case, and was sentenced to two years' probation. She will be deported.

Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@mailtribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat. Read more about 27½ pounds of meth lands man in prison

Oregon Department of Corrections: Criminal alien report April 2016

By the numbers, David Olen Cross wades through the numbers to bring us an accurate look at the real impact of illegal immigration. 

The Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) April 2016 Inmate Population Profile indicated there were 14,676 inmates incarcerated in the DOC's 14 prisons.

Data obtained from the DOC indicated that on April 1st there were 948 foreign nationals (criminal aliens) incarcerated in the state's prison system; more than one in every sixteen prisoners incarcerated by the state was a criminal alien, 6.46 percent of the total prison population.

Some background information, all 948 criminal aliens currently incarcerated in the DOC prison system were identified by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),... After the inmate completes his/her state sanction, prison officials will transfer custody of the inmate to ICE.

Using DOC Inmate Population Profiles and ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the total number inmates, the number of domestic and criminal alien inmates along with the percentage of them with ICE detainers incarcerated on April 1st in the state's prisons.

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Month/Day/Year DOC Total Inmates DOC Domestic Inmates DOC Inmates W/ICE detainers DOC % Inmates W/ICE detainers
April 1, 2016 14,676 13,728 948 6.46%
Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 April 16 and Inmate Population Profile 01 April 16.

Using DOC ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the number and percentage of criminal alien prisoners incarcerated on April 1st that were sent to prison from the state's 36 counties.

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
County DOC Total Inmates W/ ICE Detainers DOC % Inmates W/ICE Detainers
Marion 236 24.89%
Multnomah 202 21.31%
Washington 183 19.30%
Clackamas 70 7.38%
Lane 50 5.27%
Jackson 35 3.69%
Yamhill 23 2.43%
Linn 18 1.90%
Umatilla 18 1.90%
Polk 15 1.58%
Klamath 14 1.48%
Benton 12 1.26%
Malheur 12 1.26%
Lincoln 10 1.05%
Deschutes 7 0.74%
Coos 6 0.63%
Jefferson 6 0.63%
Josephine 6 0.63%
Douglas 4 0.42%
Clatsop 3 0.32%
Tillamook 3 0.32%
Wasco 3 0.32%
Crook 2 0.32%
Hood River 2 0.21%
Morrow 2 0.21%
Union 2 0.21%
Columbia 1 0.10%
Gilliam 1 0.10%
Lake 1 0.10%
OOS 1 0.10%
Baker 0 0.00%
Curry 0 0.00%
Grant 0 0.00%
Harney 0 0.00%
Sherman 0 0.00%
Wallowa 0 0.00%
Wheeler 0 0.00%
Total 948 100.00%

Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 April 16.

Here are the ways Oregon residents were victimized by the 948 criminal aliens.

Using DOC ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the number and percentage of criminal alien prisoners incarcerated on April 1st by type of crime.

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Crime DOC Total Inmates W/ ICE Detainers DOC % Inmates W/ICE Detainers
Sex Abuse 184 19.41%
Rape 167 17.62%
Homicide 137 14.45%
Drugs 104 10.97%
Sodomy 93 9.81%
Assault 77 8.12%
Robbery 54 5.70%
Kidnapping 33 3.48%
Theft 23 2.43%
Burglary 18 1.90%
Driving Offense 9 0.95%
Vehicle Theft 3 0.32%
Arson 0 0.00%
Forgery 0 0.00%
Escape 0 0.00%
Other / Combination 46 4.85%
Total 948 100.00%
Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 April 16.

Using the DOC Inmate Population Profile and ICE detainer numbers from April 1st, the following table reveals the total number inmates by crime type, the number of domestic and criminal alien prisoners incarcerated by type of crime and the percentage of those crimes committed by criminal aliens.

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Crime DOC Total Inmates DOC Domestic Inmates DOC Inmates W/ICE Detainers DOC % Inmates W/ICE Detainers
Sex Abuse 1,707 1,523 184 10.78%
Rape 966 799 167 17.29%
Homicide 1,650 1,513 137 8.30%
Drugs 923 819 104 11.27%
Sodomy 1,056 963 93 8.81%
Assault 1,893 1,816 77 4.07%
Robbery 1,581 1,527 54 3.41%
Kidnapping 293 260 33 11.26%
Burglary 1,419 1,396 23 1.62%
Theft 1,163 1,145 18 1.55%
Driving Offense 241 232 9 3.73%
Vehicle Theft 413 410 3 0.73%
Arson 78 78 0 0.00%
Forgery 33 33 0 0.00%
Escape 52 52 0 0.00%
Other / Combination 1,208 1,162 46 3.81%
Total 14,676 13,728 948 100.00%
Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 April 16 and Inmate Population Profile 01 April 16.

Using DOC ICE detainer numbers, the following table reveals the self-declared counties of origin of the 948 criminal alien prisoners by number and percentage incarcerated on April 1st in the state's prisons.

OREGON DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Country DOC Total Inmates W/ ICE Detainers DOC % Inmates W/ICE Detainers
Mexico 761 80.27%
Guatemala 24 2.53%
El Salvador 14 1.48%
Cuba 13 1.37%
Ukraine 11 1.16%
Vietnam 11 1.16%
Russia 10 1.05%
Honduras 9 0.95%
Federated States of Micronesia 6 0.63%
Philippines 6 0.63%
Other Countries 83 8.75%
Total 948 100.00%
Source: Research and Evaluation DOC Report ICE inmates list 01 April 16.

Beyond the DOC criminal alien incarceration numbers and incarceration percentages, per county and per crime type, or even country of origin, criminal aliens pose high economic cost on Oregonians.

An individual prisoner incarcerated in the DOC prison system costs the state approximately ($94.55) per day.

The DOC's incarceration cost for its 948 criminal alien prison population is approximately ($89,633.40) per day, ($627,433.80) per week, and ($32,716,191.00) per year...

None of preceding cost estimates for the DOC to incarcerate the 948 criminal aliens includes the dollar amount for legal services (indigent defense), language interpreters, court costs, or victim assistance.

Bibliography

Oregon Department of Corrections Population Profile April 1, 2016:
http://www.oregon.gov/doc/RESRCH/docs/inmate_profile_201604.pdf

Oregon Department of Corrections Population Profile (unpublished MS Excel workbook) titled Incarcerated Criminal Aliens Report dated April 1, 2016.

Oregon Department of Corrections Issue Brief Quick Facts 53-DOC/GECO: 3/23/16:
http://www.oregon.gov/doc/OC/docs/pdf/IB-53-Quick%20Facts.pdf

U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance, State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), 2015 SCAAP award: https://www.bja.gov/funding/FY-2015-SCAAP-Awards.pdf

David Olen Cross, Salem writes on immigration issues and foreign national crime. He is a weekly guest on the Lars Larson Northwest Show. He can be reached at docfnc@yahoo.com or at http://docfnc.wordpress.com/ Read more about Oregon Department of Corrections: Criminal alien report April 2016

Owner of dog killed in car theft says he'll never forget 'Kona'

The owner of a dog found dead inside his stolen car told a judge Monday he hopes the accused thief never leaves jail.

Bill Robbins' minute-long statement came during a Multnomah County Circuit Court arraignment for Francisco Vincent Gonzalez, who was arrested April 14 after police found him in a North Portland hotel. Police said Gonzalez stole Robbins' car with the dog, named Kona, inside.

A Multnomah County grand jury indicted him on new charges Tuesday including felony unauthorized use of a vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, first-degree theft, identity theft and possession of methamphetamine. He was also charged with five misdemeanors related to animal abuse, animal neglect and animal abandonment. Gonzalez pleaded not guilty....

Prosecutor Brian Davidson declined to discuss specifics of the case but said the nature of the animal crimes doesn't happen often in the county. When they happen, however, the cases are significant and troubling, he said.

Robbins reported the theft occurred April 7 about 3:30 p.m...

Officers arrested Gonzalez on April 12 at the Super Value Inn Motel in North Portland. Gonzalez confessed to detectives that he stole the car and dog, then abandoned the car with the pet inside, according to a probable cause affidavit filed April 15. Officers also arrested his wife, Linda Kathy Gutierrez, 33, on accusations of hindering prosecution.

Circuit Court Judge Karin J. Immergut raised Gonzalez's bail from $33,000 to $135,000 after prosecutor Brian Davidson requested it, noting that Gonzalez has been the subject of federal prosecution twice before on immigration offenses. Read more about Owner of dog killed in car theft says he'll never forget 'Kona'

18,000 Illegal Aliens Caught in 5 Months — In Single Texas Sector

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Laredo Sector had an impressive first five months of the current fiscal year which began in October 2015. 17,945 apprehensions were made of illegal aliens who had crossed the border from Mexico...  In addition, large quantities of drugs were seized and 33 bodies of illegal immigrants were found.

The Laredo Sector covers 101 counties in Texas. This area represents 86,793 square miles of the Lone Star State. It covers a distance of 171 miles of the Rio Grande River border with Mexico and runs northward from Laredo through Dallas to the Oklahoma border on the Red River.

Highlighting the accomplishments of the sector during that period, Border Patrol officials reported the seizure of 41,188 pounds of marijuana, 341.17 pounds of cocaine, and 863.17 pounds of heroin. Unfortunately, 33 bodies of illegal immigrants who died while entering the U.S. were found by these agents. Additionally, 184 rescues were carried out.

“These statistics represent the hard work, commitment, honor and dedication that the men and women of the U.S. Border Patrol provide everyday while securing our Nation’s borders,” Laredo Sector Chief Mario Martinez said in the statement obtained by Breitbart Texas...

“We are very proud of our Border Patrol agents and grateful for the hard work these numbers represent,” Garza continued. “Unfortunately, what we do not know is how many people successfully crossed the border undetected...

The report was sent out by officials late Friday afternoon...  The report does not disclose how many of the 17,945 people apprehended were returned to their country of origin or how many of those people were released into the United States, with or without a notice to appear for an immigration hearing...

The sector is also in the process of adding an additional all-weather road to allow agents to more quickly access sections of the river area and respond to situations where either people or drugs are crossing the border.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and is a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX. Read more about 18,000 Illegal Aliens Caught in 5 Months — In Single Texas Sector

Call your Senators! Protect your family and your community!

Alert date: 
April 22, 2016
Alert body: 
 

Call your Senators and urge them to oppose a vote on crime bill as currently written

There are a number of new reports surfacing that the Senate may try to move a highly-flawed criminal justice reform bill over the next few weeks. NumbersUSA takes no position on crime reform, but because the bill, as currently written, would largely benefit non-citizens who are incarcerated in federal prisons, and the Obama Administration has shown little interest in deporting criminal aliens, we're urging Congress not to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.

The Criminal Justice reform bill, S.2123, would reduce the sentences for certain individuals who have been convicted for federal crimes; that's an important distinction to point out -- this bill would only impact federal prisons. It would have no impact on state, county, or local jails.

According to federal data, 25% of all federal trafficking convictions and 77% of all federal drug possession convictions in 2015 were handed down to non-citizens. The criminal alien who killed California Detective Michael Davis, Jr. and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver was convicted of federal drug offenses before being released from prison.

In FY2015, the Obama Administration released 60% of the criminal aliens it came in contact with. If S.2123 passes in its current form, it would result in the release of thousands of more criminal aliens onto the streets. Several open-borders groups have already petitioned the Obama Administration, asking for any criminal aliens who are released should the law be passed be considered for Deferred Action (protection from deportations).

Please call your two U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose a vote on S.2123, the criminal justice reform bill because it could potentially release thousands of criminal aliens onto the streets.

Capitol Switchboard -- (202) 224-3121

You can call your Senators by dialing the Switchboard number above and asking the operator to be connected to your Senators' offices.

 

Main result of current prison reform bill likely would be release of criminal aliens into U.S. communities (with no deportations)

Unfortunately, the legislation being considered by Congress in response to concerns about overly-long prison sentences for Americans has been crafted to primarily benefit criminal aliens. (Those are not Americans but citizens of other countries who have been imprisoned for committing serious crimes in the U.S.)

That's the conclusion of our legislative affairs team after several weeks of scrutinizing documents and reports, and of meeting with a number of experts on the issue.

NumbersUSA takes no position on issues of sentencing reform for Americans.

But we have to get involved with the current sentencing reform legislation (companion bills S. 2123 and H.R. 3713) because most of the people who would benefit from it would be criminal aliens who would be helped to avoid deportation and to re-enter the job market to the detriment of struggling American workers.

Reports are surfacing in Washington that both chambers of Congress are preparing this spring to pass S. 2123 and H.R. 2713 which were approved by the respective Judiciary Committees last October.

Speaker Paul Ryan has called passing the legislation a priority. (See more on Ryan below.)

As currently written, the legislation would result in the massive release of criminal aliens from federal prisons into the streets. It could alternatively be called the Criminal Alien Prison Release Act of 2016, but that bill title probably wouldn't garner many votes in Congress.

The bills would retroactively reduce the minimum sentencing requirements for all individuals (regardless of their citizenship or immigration status) convicted of certain federal crimes. It would only apply to federal prisons, which comprise 9% of the entire incarcerated population in the United States.

Its impact on reforming sentencing guidelines for U.S. citizens would be minimal.

In a letter sent to Sen. Jeff Sessions last fall, the Federal Bureau of Prisons reported that 77% of individuals convicted of federal drug possession charges and more than 25% of individuals convicted of federal drug trafficking charges in FY2015 were non-citizens. Since these are the individuals who would most likely be released, you can see our concern with the legislation. Further, there is no requirement in the legislation that Immigration and Customs Enforcement take custody of a criminal alien who is released and remove them from the United States, even when theirconviction by current law should result in their immediate removal under current law.

In October of 2015, the Obama Administration released 6,600 inmates from federal prison after the U.S. Sentencing Commission revised its guidelines. One-third of those released were non-citizens. Shortly before the release, the Center for Immigration Studies uncovered a letter written by 14 immigration-expansionist organizations to the Department of Homeland Security, pleading with the Administration to consider the criminal aliens for prosecutorial discretion under Pres. Obama's 2014 executive actions.

"We urge ICE not to rush to judgment on these immigrants' cases, but instead to commit to ensuring individualized due process in each case. ...

"Each of these immigrants, including those with an "aggravated felony" and those with final removal orders, must be individually assessed for [Prosecutorial Discretion]. The 2014 DHS civil enforcement priorities memorandum specifies that removal of Priority 1 immigrants may be deprioritized if "there are compelling and exceptional factors that clearly indicate the alien is not a threat to national security, border security, or public safety and should not therefore be an enforcement priority."

The full letter can be read here.

Given the Administration's history on interior enforcement, the bills, as written, would allow tens of thousands of deportable criminal aliens to return to the American communities they victimized in the first place. Just last year, the Administration released 90,000 criminal aliens from custody -- roughly 60% of all criminal aliens it came in contact with. In fact, the criminal aliens who were responsible for the 2015 killing of Kate Steinle and the 2014 murders of California Detective Michael Davis, Jr. and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver had been earlier convicted for the same class of federal drug crimes that lawmakers seek to reform through this legislation.

Unfortunately, the provisions of the bills that would result in the release of criminal aliens are central to the efforts of both House and Senate-- and key to the Democrats' support of the bills. Unless the criminal alien issues are addressed, NumbersUSA must call for rejection of the legislation. Sentencing reform efforts should focus on new legislation that isn't a Trojan horse for yet another kind of amnesty.

Local American communities (disproportionately Black and Hispanic) into which released criminal aliens likely would return should not be asked to bear this burden under an Administration that has eviscerated immigration enforcement.

RYAN GETS A PRIMARY CHALLENGER

House Speaker Paul Ryan has learned that he'll face a Republican challenger in the August 9 Wisconsin primary. Not only has Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlan thrown his name into the race, but he's also focusing on the immigration issue hoping to rekindle some of the voter angst that lead to Rep. Dave Brat's upset of former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Virginia in 2014.

Earlier this week, Nehlan completed a NumbersUSA immigration reduction survey and earned our True Reformer status. You can view the grid here.

Ryan has a troubled history on the immigration issue. He's a passionate supporter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that would greatly increase the number of foreign workers allowed to work in the U.S. He's also pushed for work permits for illegal aliens and expanding legal immigration.

During Tuesday's GOP Presidential Primaries, Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump combined for 83% of the vote in Ryan's district. Cruz and Trump have immigration positions vastly different from Ryan's. But Nehlan's positions are closer aligned with Cruz and Trump, so we'll be keeping a close eye on this race over the next 5 months.


  Read more about Main result of current prison reform bill likely would be release of criminal aliens into U.S. communities (with no deportations)

Two heroin dealers linked to overdose death of Salem man sentenced to federal prison

Two of four defendants accused of distributing heroin that resulted in the 2014 heroin overdose death of a Salem man have been sentenced in federal court.

Jose Recio-Ayon, 25, was sent to federal prison for 10 years for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin and possession of cocaine...

Inda-Lopez played a smaller role in the drug-trafficking chain, described as a "runner,'' who distributed the drugs on that one occasion after having only arrived in the United States from Mexico two weeks earlier, according to court statements.

The cases stemmed from the heroin overdose death of 25-year-old Brandon "Billy" Maddox, who was found dead by his pregnant girlfriend on Aug. 24, 2014 in Salem...

Before his death, Maddox had participated in a six-month drug residential treatment program in Astoria and had recently returned to Salem...

Recio-Ayon and Inda-Lopez also have immigration holds against them.

"I made a big mistake,'' Inda-Lopez told U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Simon. "I do want to apologize. I'm very sorry.''

Arrest warrants are out for two other co-defendants in the case.
  Read more about Two heroin dealers linked to overdose death of Salem man sentenced to federal prison

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