Over 425,000 Migrants Convicted of Crimes Living Outside ICE Detention in US, Agency Says

There are over 425,000 immigrants convicted of crimes living outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in the U.S., according to agency data.

The Details: ICE deputy director Patrick Lechleitner offered the decade-spanning data in a letter to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX). The figure includes 13,099 convicted of homicide, 15,811 of sexual assault, and 2,521 of kidnapping. Lechleitner said there are also 222,141 migrants with pending criminal charges.

For Context: The figures come from ICE’s “non-detained docket” of nearly 7 million people. Newsweek (Center bias) says the docket lists “individuals who have been released from detention with final deportation orders, as well as those released who are waiting for an immigration court hearing.” Roughly 6% of people on the list have a criminal conviction; roughly 1 in 3 Americans have a criminal record. According to Washington Post (Lean Left), ICE hasn't detained some individuals because "they are currently incarcerated by federal, state or local authorities or because they have already served their criminal sentences but have not been deported."

How The Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) featured the story prominently and highlighted a purported hole in coverage from the left. Newsweek and Fox framed the report as coming while Vice President Kamala Harris visits the border. NBC News (Lean Left bias) highlighted how many of the 13,099 convicted murderers entered the country decades ago and might be in jail or prison. NBC and Newsweek didn't mention the sexual assault or kidnapping numbers.