NOVEMBER 12, 2014
Rep. Salmon demands answers to illegal immigrant criminals repeatedly arrested in Arizona
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Matt Salmon (AZ-05) issued the following statement regarding a letter he sent today to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. In the letter, Rep. Salmon demanded answers as to why illegal immigrants apprehended for the commission of crimes and turned over to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents for removal are found by Maricopa County Sheriffs once more committing crimes on Arizona streets just days later.
“It is with great sadness that two weeks ago we learned of the murder of two California sheriff’s deputies by Luis Enrique Monroy Bracamonte. Mr. Bracamonte was an illegal immigrant who had already been arrested by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office on four separate occasions, and turned over to ICE agents.
“When I first spoke with Sheriff Arpaio and learned that this situation was not an outlier, I was deeply disturbed. Subsequently, I have learned that numerous individuals are continually apprehended for the commission of crimes in Maricopa County after already having been arrested and transferred to ICE custody for removal.
“The Obama Administration should never allow known, dangerous criminals to travel American streets without regard for the safety of U.S. citizens. It is my hope that my request for information is met with a prompt and thorough response by the Department of Homeland Security before more senseless tragedies take place.”
Background
Since the beginning of 2014, illegal immigrants previously arrested and turned over to ICE have accounted for 35.4 percent of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office arrests. The charges against these illegal immigrants have included kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, sexual abuse, and child molestation.
In the letter, Rep. Salmon asked Sec. Johnson to provide answers to the following questions:
• Is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concerned about the alarmingly high number of criminal aliens returning to our streets and threatening our citizens and our law enforcement officers?
• Does the DHS track the number of criminal aliens who have been arrested and whether they are repeat offenders? If they do not track these criminals, why not? If these criminals are tracked, what policies have been developed to address the recidivism rate and their easy access to U.S communities?
• What percentage of Level I offenders are being deported back to their country of origin?
• Have the policies pertaining to the deportation of criminal aliens been modified in any way within the last year? If so, how?
• The American Civil Liberties Union recently sent letters to local law enforcement agencies urging them to end compliance with immigration detainer requests. What is the DHS doing to reassure local law enforcement officials that they will not be sued for following the law?
Read the full letter HERE.
