The border line between Mexico and the U.S in the community of Sasabe in Sonora state, Mexico, on Jan. 13, 2017. Phot by Alfredo Estrella / AFP - Getty Images
WASHINGTON D.C. (WSAU) – The director of Immigration & Customs Enforcement revealed in a letter on Friday that thousands of illegal migrants living in the U.S. have been convicted of violent crimes in recent years with hundreds of thousands of migrant criminal cases remaining unresolved.
In the letter that was sent to Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner detailed how over 13,000 illegal immigrants in the US were found guilty of homicide and an additional 15,000 have been found guilty of sexual assault. Additionally, the letter stated that 435,719 criminal illegal immigrants are yet to be detained by authorities.
“ICE recognizes that some jurisdictions are concerned that cooperating with federal immigration officials will erode trust with immigrant communities and make it harder for local law enforcement to serve those populations. However, ‘sanctuary’ policies can end up shielding dangerous criminals, who often victimize those same communities,” Lechleitner said in the letter.
Former President Trump responded to the letter after it was posted online by Rep. Gonzales’s office stating that Vice President Kamala Harris should cancel her scheduled Friday event at the U.S. southern border saying, “Kamala should immediately cancel her News Conference because it was just revealed that 13,000 convicted murderers entered our Country during her three and a half year period as Border Czar – Also currently in our Country because of her are 15,811 migrants convicted of rape and sexual assault.”
The issue of illegal migrant crime has impacted the state of Wisconsin in recent weeks as Fidel Martinez-Cruz was arrested in Green Bay last month for sexually assaulting two women in two separate instances at the Hyatt Hotel including a 17-year-old victim who picked Martinez-Cruz out of a lineup when police brought her in to identify her attacker. Martinez-Cruz faces charges of 2nd-degree sexual assault/unconscious victim; 3rd-degree sexual assault; attempted 3rd-degree sexual assault; and 4th-degree sexual assault.
Wisconsin also made national headlines when a Venezuelan migrant gang member identified as Nelson W Mijango Santos was charged with several violent crimes in August such as Attempt 1st Degree Intentional Homicide, and Attempt to Flee or Elude an Officer which are both felonies. ICE placed a detainer on Santos on 8/23/2024 and he remains in the Dane County Jail while the legal process plays out.
Syracuse University’s Trac Immigration found in a recent study that from 2021 through the first quarter of 2024, the Biden administration issued less than 300,000 detainers on migrants in the country illegally who have gone to commit a crime and many jails around the U.S., like the one in Dane County, do not honor ICE detainers and refuse to provide ICE with a 48 hours notice to pick up a prisoner before they’re released back into the public due to their “sanctuary” status.
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