A report released by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) reveals that the number of arrests of undocumented immigrants already convicted of a crime has fallen by 32% since this point last year; however, the CIS points out that while the government is arresting less such individuals, this does not necessarily mean that there are less of them in the United States. 168,000 undocumented immigrants convicted of a crime but still present in the country have been identified by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement; however, just 11,983 were arrested, statistics for April this year from the CIS suggest. The report also demonstrates that despite orders for their removal, 904,000 undocumented immigrants ‒ of which 167,527 are convicted criminals ‒ have remained in the United States.
“The long term ramifications are continued crime inflicted upon US citizens,” claims the CIS director of communications, Marguerite Telford. “So the administration’s catch and release policy means these criminal aliens are free to commit additional crimes.” Other reports appear to corroborate the figures suggesting that fewer undocumented immigrants are being detained.
This may also be because ICE’s Alternative to Detention program increased from 32,065 in the 2011 fiscal year to 40,864 in 2013. The Heritage Foundation’s homeland security expert David Inserra says this is not necessarily a bad thing, with measures such as ankle tracking bracelets. “That being said, some individuals need to be detained and criminal aliens fit that bill,” he added.