Between 2010 and 2014, a group of 121 illegal aliens were held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and scheduled for deportation. Despite being scheduled for deportation, they were never removed from the country and have now been charged with murder.
From ICE:
This revelation came as a result of an inquiry from Senators Chuck Grassley and Jeff Flake about Apolinar Altamirano, an illegal alien charged with murdering Arizona convenience store clerk Grant Ronnebeck. Altamirano was supposed to be deported after racking up a previous criminal history. Instead, he was able to stay and took the life of an innocent American.
As a result of ICE providing this information, Grassley and Senator Jeff Sessions have a sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Secretary of State John Kerry and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson demanding answers.
"According to information provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), up to 121 homicides in the U.S. could have been avoided between Fiscal Year 2010 and FY 2014 had this administration removed from our borders aliens with criminal convictions instead of releasing them back into society where they could commit more crimes," the letter states. "I am writing to ask whether the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the State Department, and the Justice Department are fully leveraging existing tools and resources to prevent these dangerous outcomes."
Lynch, Kerry and Johnson have until July 6 to respond.
In January, legislation was introduced in the Senate to stop Homeland Security's "catch and release" program.
The Department of Homeland Security currently has a policy in place known as "catch and release," meaning violent illegal aliens are arrested, processed and put back onto American streets if their home countries won't take them back.
According to Judicary Comimittee Chairman Chuck Grassley's office, the policy was "created by a 2001 Supreme Court decision (Zadvydas v. Davis), which prohibits immigrants who had been ordered removed from being detained for more than six months. The Court expanded this decision to apply to all illegal immigrants in Clark v. Martinez in 2005."
This catch and release policy is not only demoralizing to Immigration and Border Patrol Agents, but it's dangerous and deadly. There are countless examples of violent assault and murders committed by illegal aliens after being arrested and released by federal authorities.
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In 2013, DHS admitted to releasing 36,000 violent criminal aliens charged and convicted of crimes like assault with a deadly weapon, child-rape, rape, participating in street gangs, aggravated assault and murder onto American streets.
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