Bombshell Report Reveals Up To 30% Of Federal Inmates Are Illegal Immigrants

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released its findings on the immigration status of federal prison inmates, as mandated in a controversial Executive Order signed during the President Trump"s first week in the White House.  The report reveals that of the 37,557 confirmed immigrants in the federal prison system, 35,334 (94%) of them are in the United States illegally - which means out of a total of 185,507, federally incarcerated individuals, over 19% are confirmed illegal immigrants - which, in 2014, cost U.S. taxpayers $1.87 billion to house.

It should be noted that the 19% figure is based on known illegals in federal prison - while 58,766 individuals are "known or suspected" to be illegal. If we apply the 94% confirmed illegal rate to the "known or suspected" population, it brings the total number of potential incarcerated illegal immigrants to 55,240 - or 30% of federal incarcerations. 

(DHS Alien Incarceration Report , Q4 2017)

The report also points out that the federal prison population is roughly 10%, with state and local facilities containing the vast majority of incarcerated individuals in the U.S. 

"The American people deserve a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions, adding "But at the border and in communities across America, our citizens are being victimized by illegal aliens who commit crimes. Nearly 95 percent of confirmed aliens in our federal prisons are here illegally.  We know based on sentencing data that non-citizens commit a substantially disproportionate number of drug-related offenses, which contributes to our national drug abuse crisis. The simple fact is that any offense committed by a criminal alien is ultimately preventable."

Immigrant rights groups predictably had a major problem with the report, claiming racism and manipulated data. 

"The report proves one thing only: The administration will take any opportunity possible to twist facts to demonize immigrants," said Tom Jawetz, VP for immigration policy at the very liberal Center for American Progress, adding "The vast majority of immigrants in federal prison are there for crimes that only immigrants can be charged with - illegal entry and illegal entry after removal. When you cook the books you shouldn"t pretend to be surprised by the results." 

The January 25th Executive Order, 13768; "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States," was designed to use all available resources to deport incarcerated illegals and enforce existing immigration laws. The order states "We cannot faithfully execute the immigration laws of the United States if we exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. The purpose of this order is to direct executive departments and agencies (agencies) to employ all lawful means to enforce the immigration laws of the United States."

The order calls for the hire of 10,000 additional immigration officers, allows for issuing fines and penalties to unlawful aliens, allows State and local law enforcement agencies to act as immigration officers, and yanks Federal grant money from sanctuary cities - which was later reversed nationwide by a Chicago judge and ruled unconstitutional by Santa Clara County, CA  judge William Orrick III. 

What wasn"t killed by activist judges, however, was the Executive Order"s mandate to provide quarterly reports on incarcerated immigrants. The EO reads: 

To promote the transparency and situational awareness of criminal aliens in the United States, the Secretary and the Attorney General are hereby directed to collect relevant data and provide quarterly reports on the following:

 

(a) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated under the supervision of the Federal Bureau of Prisons;

 

(b) the immigration status of all aliens incarcerated as Federal pretrial detainees under the supervision of the United States Marshals Service; and

 

(c) the immigration status of all convicted aliens incarcerated in State prisons and local detention centers throughout the United States.

The Order also sets out enforcement actions, which "shall prioritize for removal those aliens described by the Congress... ...removable aliens who: 

(a) Have been convicted of any criminal offense;

 

(b) Have been charged with any criminal offense, where such charge has not been resolved;

 

(c) Have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offense;

 

(d) Have engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter or application before a governmental agency;

 

(e) Have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits;

 

(f) Are subject to a final order of removal, but who have not complied with their legal obligation to depart the United States; or

 

(g) In the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security.

One oustanding question now is what will a seemingly sleepwalking Jeff Sessions do about it?

In May, Sessions announced the expansion and modernization of the Justice Department"s Institutional Hearing Program, which is responsible for deportation hearings of incarcerated individuals. The measures are intended to fast-track the deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, which according to Sessions, will speed up the process by removing the criminal immigrant as soon as their sentence is complete - as opposed to sending them to another facility to await deportation. 

"We owe it to the American people to ensure that illegal aliens who have been convicted of crimes and are serving time in our federal prisons are expeditiously removed from our country as the law requires," Sessions said in a statement.

Sessions" May proposal established 14 federal prisons and six contract facilities for deportation proceedings, which the Attorney General says is a top priority going forward.

Sessions Humiliates Rahm: "No Amount Of Federal Funds Will Help A City That Refuses To Help Its Own Residents"

All the latest moves coming from Jeff Sessions would seem to imply that the beleaguered Attorney General has every intent of aggressively pushing forward with Trump"s agenda in order to mend broken fences with the White House and try to keep his job.  The latest such move comes in the form of the following rather direct official statement from Sessions in response to Chicago"s lawsuit filed earlier this morning regarding federal funding, or lack thereof rather, for sanctuary cities.

Among other things, Sessions scolded Chicago"s Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, saying that "no amount of federal taxpayer dollars will help a city that refuses to help its own residents."  Meanwhile, Sessions also took direct aim at Chicago"s soaring violent crime rate pointing out, as we have on many occasions, that the city recorded more murders in 2016 than New York and L.A. combined.

“No amount of federal taxpayer dollars will help a city that refuses to help its own residents."

“This administration is committed to the rule of law and to enforcing the laws established by Congress. To a degree perhaps unsurpassed by any other jurisdiction, the political leadership of Chicago has chosen deliberately and intentionally to adopt a policy that obstructs this country’s lawful immigration system. They have demonstrated an open hostility to enforcing laws designed to protect law enforcement — Federal, state, and local — and reduce crime, and instead have adopted an official policy of protecting criminal aliens who prey on their own residents. This is astounding given the unprecedented violent crime surge in Chicago, with the number of murders in 2016 surpassing both New York and Los Angeles combined. The city’s leaders cannot follow some laws and ignore others and reasonably expect this horrific situation to improve."

“The Mayor complains that the federal government’s focus on enforcing the law would require a ‘reordering of law enforcement practice in Chicago.’ But that’s just what Chicago needs: a recommitment to the rule of law and to policies that rollback the culture of lawlessness that has beset the city."

“This administration will not simply give away grant dollars to city governments that proudly violate the rule of law and protect criminal aliens at the expense of public safety. So it’s this simple: Comply with the law or forego taxpayer dollars.”

Of course, the comment from Sessions came in response to a lawsuit filed by Emanuel this morning aimed at preventing the Trump administration from withholding money from cities that deny U.S. immigration officials access to local jails.  Per Reuters:

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court, said the federal policies force the nation"s third largest city to choose between its constitutional rights and funding for law enforcement.

"These new conditions also fly in the face of longstanding City policy that promotes cooperation between local law enforcement and immigrant communities," the lawsuit said.

"We are bringing this legal challenge because the rhetoric, the threats from this administration embodied in these new conditions imposed on unrelated public safety grants funds are breeding a culture and climate of fear,” Emanuel"s senior legal adviser, Corporation Counsel Ed Siskel, said on Monday.

The conditions from the Justice Department apply to the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, which provide money to hundreds of cities. Chicago is expected to receive $3.2 million this year for purchasing equipment.

The lawsuit came nearly two weeks after Sessions said the Justice Department would bar cities from the Byrne program unless they allowed immigration authorities unlimited access to local jails and gave immigration officials a 48 hour pre-release notice before releasing criminal aliens back onto the streets.

Of course, setting aside your views on federal funding for sanctuary cities for a moment, the irony of the situation is that taxpayers will ultimately end up spending well in excess of the $3.2 million due to the city of Chicago on lawyers to litigate whether or not a rogue mayor has the right to randomly choose which federal laws he will or will not enforce...only in America.

Settle Mayor Files Lawsuit Over 'Sanctuary City' Funding; Blasts Trump's "War On Cities"

Ed Murray, the Mayor of the city of Seattle, has just launched yet another federal lawsuit against the Trump administration"s threat to withhold federal grants to so-called "sanctuary cities," citing the 10th Amendment that deals with states" rights.  Murray also took to his bully pulpit to blast the Trump administration"s "war on cities" while simultaneously declaring that Seattle isn"t "breaking any laws" by simply choosing to ignore certain federal mandates.  Per NBC News:

"Apparently the Trump administration, their war on facts, has now become a war on cities," Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said. He said the goal of the suit is to have a judge declare the order unconstitutional.

"Let me be clear about the facts: We are not breaking any laws and we are prioritizing safety," Murray said.

Communities become LESS safe every day under Trump"s orders as residents become more afraid to report crimes. That"s why we must act now.

— Ed Murray (@MayorEdMurray) March 29, 2017

Of course, the comments from Murray followed Attorney General Jeff Sessions" surprise appearance at Sean Spicer"s daily White House press briefing earlier this week to announce that his DOJ would be taking steps to not only require that so-called "sanctuary cities" enforce federal immigration laws but would also be seeking to claw back past DOJ awards granted to those cities if they refuse to certify compliance.

"Today, I"m urging states and local jurisdictions to comply with these federal laws.  Moreover, the Department of Justice will require that jurisdictions seeking or applying for DOJ grants to certify compliance with 1373 as a condition for receiving those awards."

"This policy is entirely consistent with the DOJ"s Office of Justice Programs guidance that was issued just last summer under the previous administration."

"This guidance requires jurisdictions to comply and certify compliance with Section 1373 in order to be eligible for OJP grants.  It also made clear that failure to remedy violations could result in withholding grants, termination of grants and disbarment or ineligibility for future grants."

"The DOJ will also take all lawful steps to claw back any fines awarded to a jurisdiction that willfully violates Section 1373."

Sessions" full comments can be viewed below:

Attorney General Sessions says sanctuary cities "cannot continue" https://t.co/YiS9doT3IE pic.twitter.com/nGmICgmiA6

— FOX Business (@FoxBusiness) March 27, 2017

Meanwhile, Seattle"s AG also decided to chime in:

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes said the effects of the executive order have already been felt, with victims in domestic violence cases choosing not to pursue prosecution due to immigration status. He said local governments do not enforce federal immigration laws. Holmes noted that terms like "sanctuary cities" are nebulous and ill defined.

"Instead of the press conferences from Washington, instead of the Tweets from the White House, we want to have a sober statement of the law that can be reassuring to the communities that this is still the rule of law, and it"s still a nation of laws," he said.

Of course, the snowflake bastion of San Francisco has already filed suit against the Trump administration"s executive order, also citing the 10th Amendment. "This strikes at the heart of established principles of federalism and violates the United States Constitution," attorneys for the city and county of San Francisco wrote in its complaint.  A federal judge set a hearing for the city"s motion for a preliminary injunction to block the executive order for April 14.

Seems like the Trump administration, and few billion dollars in federal taxpayer subsidies, have struck a nerve.