WASHINGTON – Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is pressing for details about the release of 116 individuals who had been convicted of a homicide and were awaiting deportation proceedings.
In a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Grassley cited recently distributed data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The information is from a larger batch of information that said 36,007 individuals were released in 2013 who had been convicted of a crime and were awaiting the outcome of deportation proceedings.
Grassley is asking for case summaries for each individual convicted of homicide, as well as information on each release, including if the release was mandatory or discretionary, the released individual’s immigration status, and the measures taken to ensure public safety.
A copy of the text of Grassley’s letter is below. A copy of the signed letter is here.
June 9, 2014
VIA ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION
The Honorable Jeh Johnson
Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Johnson:
According to multiple news reports, in 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released from its custody 36,007 immigrants who had been convicted of a crime and were awaiting the outcome of deportation proceedings.[1] This included 116 individuals who had been convicted of homicide, with a total of 193 homicide convictions between them.[2] On May 12, 2014, ICE reportedly claimed that it was required by court decisions to release convicts who accounted for 75% percent of these homicides.[3] Two days later, ICE revised that figure to 72%.[4] So, by its own admission, ICE voluntarily released convicted criminal aliens who accounted for the remaining 28% even though it had the discretion to detain them and keep them off the streets. Such a serious breach of public safety requires accountability and answers for the American people.
Accordingly, please provide a case summary for each homicide convict who was released from ICE custody in 2013, including whether the release in question was “mandatory” or discretionary, as follows:
1. For each mandatory release, please provide the name of the judge and court of jurisdiction that ordered the release.
2. If there was no court order, please explain how the release can properly be called mandatory rather than discretionary.
3. For each discretionary release, please explain why the convicted criminal alien in question was released.
4. For each homicide convict released, please indicate what conditions were imposed upon the release in order to protect public safety. If none, then please explain why precautionary conditions were not imposed.
5. For each homicide convict released, please provide:
a. the immigration status of the convict;
b. the zip code of the convict’s last known address; and
c. the name and location of the detention facility from which the convict was released.
Please provide your reply in writing no later than June 27, 2014. If you have any questions, please contact Jay Lim of my Committee staff at (202) 224-5225. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Grassley
Ranking Member
Then again the king wants you to give up your protection device sometimes known as a western 6 shooter or a granny semi auto. TOO SMOOTH.
The answer to these questions and who really authorized the release of these illeagl aliens, should really be good. There are people in our government that do not care about the safety of American citizens. Most of those released are probably still walking the streets of America.