The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security’s FY 2018 1st Quarter Alien Incarceration Report found that more than one in five of all persons in Bureau of Prisons custody were known or suspected aliens, and 93 percent of confirmed aliens in DOJ custody were in the United States unlawfully.
“The illegal immigrant crime rate in this country should be zero,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “Every crime committed by an illegal alien is, by definition, a crime that should have been prevented. It is outrageous that tens of thousands of Americans are dying every year because of the drugs and violence brought over our borders illegally and that taxpayers have been forced, year after year, to pay millions of dollars to incarcerate tens of thousands of illegal aliens.”
“That is another reason why the Department of Justice under President Trump’s leadership has instituted a zero tolerance policy for illegal entry on our Southwest border,” he added in a statement. “Today’s report is yet another reminder that we must continue this policy and help fulfill President Trump’s goals of restoring lawfulness to our immigration system and ensure that immigration serves the good of this country.”
A total of 57,820 known or suspected aliens were in in DOJ custody at the end of FY 2018 Q1, including 38,132 persons in Bureau of Prisons custody and 19,688 in U.S. Marshals custody. Of this total, 42,284 people had been confirmed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be aliens (i.e., non-citizens and non-nationals), while 15,536 aliens were still under investigation by ICE to determine alienage and/or removability.
Among the 42,284 confirmed aliens, 39,413 people (93 percent) were unlawfully present. These numbers include a 62 percent unlawful rate among 38,132 known or suspected aliens in BOP custody and a 78 percent unlawful rate among 19,688 confirmed aliens in USMS custody.
Approximately 16,233 aliens in USMS custody required housing in state, local, and private facilities, which cost $1,458,372.72 a day.
“Bad actors know well our legal loopholes which act as a magnet for illegal immigration,” said DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. “As DHS continues to carry out President Trump’s immigration priorities to keep America safe, Congress must urgently act to close dangerous loopholes that attract criminal aliens and also inhibit our ability to remove them.”
Read more at the Justice Department
