Trump Released More Migrants With Criminal Records Than Biden: Report
By Donna November 1, 2024 8:51 am Category: News (5.0 from 1 vote)
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From Newsweek:
More illegal immigrants charged with or convicted of a crime were released during Donald Trump's administration than during President Joe Biden's term, according to an analysis published Wednesday by an influential libertarian think tank.
The report from the Cato Institute found over 92,920 noncitizens with criminal records were released from custody between Oct. 2017 and Oct. 2020, including over 8,000 violent criminals and 300 murderers.
While Trump has insisted that the Biden-Harris administration has allowed more violent criminals into the country, a smaller number — 56,280 —were released between 2021 and June 2024, according to the report.
Trump has promised a return of his strict border policies, including "Remain in Mexico" and Title 42, used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The report showed a spike in illegal border crossings by criminals after that measure was introduced.
"One of his very first actions in office, the very first week that he was in office, he rescinded requirements for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to focus on convicted criminals," David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, told Newsweek Wednesday.
"First felons and then other people who committed serious misdemeanors, he revoked those requirements that were put in place by the Obama administration," Bier said. "So it was no longer a requirement for ICE to detain an arrest criminals over people who are just in the country illegally, who didn't have any criminal convictions."...
The data obtained by the Cato Institute under a Freedom of Information Act request showed higher rates of criminals being released by the border patrol during Trump's time in office compared to Biden's.
In 2019, ICE released more than twice the number of migrants convicted of crimes (22,790) than during any single year of Biden's term, in which the highest number came in 2021 (10,310).
Among those released between 2017 and 2020 were 576 migrants convicted of sexual assault or rape, 3,900 who had committed assault, and 1,435 who had committed domestic violence offenses.
In early 2020, when Title 42 was introduced by Trump, the border patrol stopped recording breakdowns of criminal histories, so it is not possible to know what those migrants were convicted of or charged with beyond that period.
Figures did show that between December 2020 and June 2024, ICE reduced its release of convicted criminals by 54 percent.
"[The data] shows us that the policies that he's proposing didn't prioritize safety, didn't result in a safer or more secure immigration system," Bier said.
"It shows the opposite. It led to less security, and this is measured not just the number of criminals who were entering, but also the number of people who evaded detection."
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