Top Biden agency issues blunt message to criminal immigrants after explosive data becomes liability for admin
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warned noncitizen criminals with felony convictions this week that they "forfeit the privilege" to be in the United States -- in the type of muscular language rarely used by the Biden administration.
"Noncitizens with felony convictions forfeit the privilege to be in the United States," ICE’s enforcement and removal operations (ERO) office in New York said on Tuesday.
The statement came as it announced multiple arrests in New York City, which is a sanctuary city that limits cooperation with ICE detainers. Those detainers are requests that ICE be notified when a potentially deportable suspect is being released so that they can be taken into ICE custody. It means that ICE agents have to go into the community to make arrests of immigrant criminals.
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The ICE account noted the arrest of a 45-year-old Jamaican citizen convicted of forcible touching, and a 34-year-old Guatemalan convicted of illegal re-entry. Agents also arrested a 38-year-old Dominican Republic citizen charged with sexual misconduct and a "criminal sex act."
The Biden administration has said it is prioritizing public safety and national security threats as part of its narrowed enforcement priorities. However, it has come under fire for a sharp drop in deportations compared to the prior administration.
Recently, the deportation of criminals came under scrutiny after numbers showing that among those in removal proceedings but who are not in ICE detention, there are 425,431 convicted criminals. That is up from about 405,000 in June 2021 and 368,000 in April 2016.
Overall, the non-detained docket, which lists those in removal proceedings or who have a final order of removal but who are not in ICE custody, has expanded to more than 7.4 million people, up from around 3.7 million when former President Donald Trump left office.
Immigration has become a top election issue, with both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris pushing to be seen as tougher on the border crisis than the other.
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A number of polls, however, have shown Trump to be the more trusted candidate on border security and immigration among voters.
Harris has hammered Trump on his failure to back a bipartisan border security bill that would have increased funding for the border and limited releases into the interior. Conservatives said the bill would only codify high levels of illegal immigration. Trump has accused the administration of fueling the crisis with its liberal border policies.
He recently commented on the number of illegal immigrant criminals in the country.
"You know, now a murderer, I believe this, it’s in their genes. And we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now," he said.