Report Says Obama Admin. Released 36K Criminal Illegal Aliens in 2013

The Obama administration intentionally released some 36,000 criminal illegal aliens in 2013, according to a new report from the Center for Immigration Studies.

Agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement are shown detaining a group of immigrants (AP)

That’s an average of nearly 100 releases per day.

Citing a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo, the Center for Immigration Studies, an organization that focuses on immigration policy, reported that the group of released illegal aliens included criminals who had been convicted of serious crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, kidnapping and aggravated assault.

The list of crimes also included roughly 16,000 drunk or drugged driving convictions.

Prior to being released by ICE, the convicted illegals were awaiting deportation proceedings.

Many of the releases were done at the discretion of the federal government and not in response to any requirements under the law, the report said. In fact, it added, some of the releases were ordered "contrary to law."

Further, “the 36,007 convicted criminal aliens freed from ICE custody in many instances had multiple convictions. Among them, the 36,007 had nearly 88,000 convictions," according to the Center for Immigration Studies.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the 88,000 convictions:

• 193 homicide convictions (including one willful killing of a public official with gun)
• 426 sexual assault convictions
• 303 kidnapping convictions
• 1,075 aggravated assault convictions
• 1,160 stolen vehicle convictions
• 9,187 dangerous drug convictions
• 16,070 drunk or drugged driving convictions
• 303 flight escape convictions

Here’s an excerpt from a separate report from the Center for Immigration Studies detailing some of the crimes committed by illegal aliens released by ICE:

Image source: Center for Immigration Studies

ICE defended itself this week and disputed the immigration group's findings, saying that it is required by law in certain cases to free people who have been detained.

"The releases required by court decisions account for a disproportionate number of the serious crimes listed in the report. For example, mandatory releases account for over 75% of the homicides listed," the statement said. "Others, typically those with less serious offenses, were released as a discretionary matter after career law enforcement officers made a judgment regarding the priority of holding the individual, given ICE's resources, and prioritizing the detention and removal of individuals who pose a risk to public safety or national security."

—

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter