According to the Obama administration’s own statistics, the U.S. government knowingly released from custody more than 36,000 illegal immigrants awaiting possible deportation in 2013. Among the crimes committed by those sent back into the U.S. general population were assault, drunken driving, kipnapping, and even homicide.
The 36,007 criminal aliens counted in the data had more than 87,000 convictions among them: 9,187 convictions for what ICE labeled “dangerous drugs,” 2,691 assault convictions, 1,724 weapons offenses and even 303 convictions for “fight escape” — a category that would seem to make them bad candidates for being released back into the country.
Additionally, there were 15,000 drunken-driving convictions, 1,317 domestic violence convictions, 727 sex crimes convictions and even four that the statistics listed as “treason, sabotage.” 
Although these immigrants were in deportation proceedings and could have held them in detention, they were released according to the Center for Immigration Studies, which obtained the numbers and published a report Monday morning.
Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the center, said the numbers undercut the Obama administration’s own argument that it’s trying to keep its enforcement efforts targeted at dangerous criminals. “We keep hearing from the administration that they are focused like a laser on enforcement against the worst of the worst, convicted criminals, as their top priority. On the other hand, they are releasing, at a rate of about 100 a day, aliens from their custody with criminal convictions, and many of them are serious criminal convictions,” she said.
Some of the immigrants were likely released in response to an old court decision that said if a home country won’t take immigrants back, the U.S. must release them. But Ms. Vaughan said most were likely released on the decision of ICE officials. They are supposed to be subjected to other methods such as monitoring, bond or their own recognizance.
Of course, this President promised that illegal immigrants who break the laws of this country (besides the one they broke by coming into the country) will be deported. But (surprise, surprise) that promise has gone the way of the ones about keeping ones health plans and doctors. Democrats and the liberal media fault the GOP for not passing an immigration bill in the house. How can they be expected to pass anything close to an immigration bill when this president cannot be trusted to keep his promises. Even if there are “seal the borders” type provisions in any immigration bill, can anyone trust this President to follow through on any provision designed to protect the borders? Cross-posted at The Lid
