WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R—Tenn.) introduced two amendments designed to prevent any future efforts by the Biden administration to limit the detention of illegal immigrants and to let those with violent criminal records threaten our communities.

PREVENTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM BEING SET FREE

“The Biden Administration is ignoring existing immigration law in their radical bid for amnesty and open borders,” said Senator Blackburn. “America cannot allow a return to the Obama-era immigration system that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement from enforcing the law. ICE must have the necessary funding to detain and house illegal immigrants once apprehended.”

BACKGROUND

S.AMDT.179 will provide funding to allow the Department of Homeland Security to secure additional beds to detain aliens convicted of criminal acts under federal or state law, including but not limited to homicide, criminal sexual assault, and child fondling.

KEEPING CRIMINAL ILLEGALS OFF OUR STREETS

“The Biden Administration is putting the safety of communities in jeopardy by promoting the release of criminal illegal aliens with a history of domestic violence or sexual assault,” said Senator Blackburn. “There is absolutely no scenario in which criminal illegal aliens should be allowed to freely roam our streets.”

BACKGROUND

S.AMDT.141 requires the mandatory detention of aliens charged with or convicted of domestic violence.

The Biden Administration is now promoting the release of dangerous illegal aliens. In blatant disregard of the public safety threat, the Department of Homeland Security issued a disturbing memo on January 21, 2021, that directs DHS components to “conduct a review of policies and practices concerning immigration enforcement” and imposes a 100-day moratorium on most deportations.

Criminal aliens are not exempted from the deportation moratorium. Meanwhile, most criminal aliens with final removal orders will not be removed while the deportation moratorium is in effect. A letter from a dozen Senators, led by Senator Grassley, noted that 92% of ICE interior removals in FY2020 had criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. The recidivism rate of released criminal aliens was 35%, the former Obama DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson admitted in 2016.