Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) this week released a letter from U.S. Immigration and Customs Reform that lists the zip codes where ICE has released dozens of illegal immigrants who have been convicted of a "homicide-related" offense.
Grassley asked ICE back in June for more information about where these immigrants were released. Earlier this month, Grassley got a letter back saying 169 immigrants with a "homicide-related conviction" were released in 2013, and 131 of them were issued a final order of removal.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says the Obama administration needs to be more transparent on where dangerous illegal immigrants are being released. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The 169 immigrants were part of a larger group of 36,000 that were released from detention in 2013. ICE's letter lists the zip codes that are "associated" with the former detainees with "homicide-related" convictions. Grassley had asked for the zip code of each convict's last known address.
The letter from ICE's Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Thomas Winkowski, said he is putting in place "new procedures" to require review by a superior before ICE releases "potentially dangerous individuals."
But Grassley said that's not enough, and that the public needs to know when and where these immigrants are released.
"The public needs to know when a person is in the country illegally, and who has been convicted of a homicide, is released into their communities," he said. "We've introduced legislation that would reverse the court case that the Obama administration is relying on to excuse its irresponsible release of thousands of criminally convicted aliens."
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) responded Friday by saying two of the zip codes in ICE's letter are in his home state, and said it shows the Obama administration is bent on easing immigration rules at any cost, even if that cost is public safety.
"This information proves that some of our deepest fears about the Obama administration's amnesty policies are, in fact, true," Vitter said. "It's absolutely vital that the administration stops granting amnesty and starts enforcing our immigration laws – and it needs to happen before any more of these criminals are released into Louisiana."
Read ICE's letter here, and see if your zip code is included:
