WASHINGTON – Last week, U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and 10 Senate colleagues sent a letter to the Director of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Ronald Davis demanding answers after reports that the USMS is considering a new policy to permit the release of dangerous, criminal aliens before U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is able to apprehend these illegal immigrants.
“We are deeply concerned to learn that USMS is even considering adopting a policy where it fails to cooperate with a fellow federal law enforcement entity,” the senators wrote. “The partnership between USMS and ICE is critical to ensure that dangerous, criminal aliens are detained and deported. Preventing USMS from communicating with ICE would be a dereliction of federal immigration enforcement, and we strongly discourage you from proceeding with this proposed policy.”
Additional signers of the letter include Senators John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.).
The senators continued, “The Biden Administration’s failed immigration policies continue to fuel a crisis on our southern border. Since President Biden took office, CBP has had 3 million encounters with illegal immigrants at our southern border. Further, there continues to be a growing number of ‘gotaways’ entering the country due to the chaos at the border. Recent reports indicate over 500,000 illegal immigrants evaded capture so far in fiscal year 2022 (FY22). These potentially dangerous, criminal aliens pose a significant risk to public safety, especially in states and communities that have adopted sanctuary policies.”
The senators concluded, “Even Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has spoken out against dangerous sanctuary city policies. Speaking before the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Secretary Mayorkas acknowledged that some cities are releasing illegal immigrants, ‘even if those individuals pose a public safety threat,’ and that, ‘the public’s safety, the public’s well-being . . . is I think at issue.’ In light of this public safety risk, Secretary Mayorkas indicated he would be going to municipal leaders and ‘asking you to reconsider your position of non-cooperation . . .”
Read the full letter here.
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