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The new statistics on criminal migrants in the United States have sparked controversy and debate, particularly in light of the Democratic border policy under President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Critics have seized on the data to challenge the administration’s approach to border security, with former President Trump claiming that 13,000 convicted murderers entered the country during Kamala Harris’ tenure as Border Czar and were allowed to “openly roam” the country.
However, a closer look at the numbers reveals a more complex picture. The latest figures from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) show that while there were indeed 13,000 non-citizens with murder convictions on their records, these individuals were not necessarily in ICE custody. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, clarified that the data spanned several years and included individuals who entered the US during previous administrations, not just the Biden-Harris administration.
Moreover, many of the individuals on ICE’s “non-detained docket” are actually in the custody of other law enforcement agencies at the federal, state, or local level. The DHS emphasized that just because someone is not in ICE custody does not mean they are freely roaming the country, as Trump has claimed. Some may be detained or imprisoned by other authorities, as in the case of Zacarias Moussaoui, who is serving time in a maximum-security prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks.
The numbers provided by ICE to Congressman Tony Gonzales paint a more detailed picture of the criminal migrant population in the US. As of July 2024, there were 425,431 non-citizens with criminal convictions on the non-detained docket, including over 13,000 murderers, 15,811 individuals convicted of sexual assault, and 62,231 with assault convictions. However, the DHS acknowledged that the data had been misinterpreted and clarified that the list includes individuals who are currently incarcerated or detained by other authorities.
While Trump has sought to blame the Biden-Harris administration for the presence of these criminals in the country, the data show that the issue is more complex and longstanding. The DHS noted that the data goes back decades and includes individuals who entered the country over the past 40 years or more, with custody determinations made long before the current administration took office. Without a breakdown of the numbers under each administration, it is difficult to attribute the presence of these individuals solely to the Biden-Harris administration.
Experts point out that the challenges of deporting criminal non-citizens also contribute to the high numbers of convicted individuals in the US. The US government faces hurdles in extraditing individuals to countries with which it has strained diplomatic relations, leading to delays and complications in deportation proceedings. Additionally, legal protections such as the UN Convention Against Torture can prevent the deportation of individuals who are at risk of torture or persecution in their home countries, further complicating efforts to remove them from the US.
Despite these challenges, DHS reports that it has deported over 180,000 criminal non-citizens since January 2021. The growing numbers on ICE’s non-detained docket reflect not only the administration’s efforts to address the issue but also the broader trends in immigration and law enforcement over multiple administrations. As the debate over border security and immigration policy continues, a nuanced understanding of the data and the underlying challenges is crucial for shaping effective and informed policies.
