Sanctuary cities protected more than 22,000 "deportable" criminal illegal immigrants from Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the 3 1/2 years of the Biden-Harris administration and released them back into communities, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
While ICE placed detainers on the criminal illegal immigrants for the purpose of deporting them, sanctuary jurisdictions — including 13 states — instead released them "back into the community," CIS said in its analysis, citing ICE records.
In all, 22,040 criminal illegal immigrants were issued early release despite an ICE detainer from Jan. 20, 2021, through July 15, 2024, according to the immigration think tank.
"Each declined detainer represents a deportable criminal alien who was released back into the community and given the opportunity to prey on more victims," CIS Director of Research Jessica Vaughan wrote in her analysis.
According to CIS, this is the year-by-year number of ICE detainers that were declined by sanctuary jurisdictions, freeing criminal illegal immigrants:
- 2021: 2,512 (partial year)
- 2022: 5,723
- 2023: 7,934
- 2024: 5,871 (partial year)
Border czar Tom Homan told Donald Trump Jr. on Friday that day one of his father's presidency in January will be "shock and awe" when it comes to the beginning mass deportations.