House Judiciary Committee to Hold ICE Oversight Hearing

Director Saldaña to testifyWashington, D.C. – On Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 10:00 a.m., the House Judiciary Committee will hold an oversight hearing on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Director Sarah Saldaña will answer questions before the Committee regarding the agency’s failure to enforce immigration laws, its release of criminal aliens and inaccurate data provided to the Committee about these releases, and refusal to crack down on dangerous sanctuary city policies. ICE is tasked with enforcing U.S. immigration laws but under the policies implemented by the Obama Administration, the agency has failed to adhere to its mission. Most recently, only 235,000 unlawful and criminal aliens were removed in Fiscal Year 2015. Of these removals, nearly 166,000 were actually border crossers apprehended by Customs and Border Protection – they were not initially encountered by ICE. Only about 69,000 were actually apprehended where ICE has primary jurisdiction – in the interior of the United States – a drop of 70% since President Obama took office in 2008. Additionally, the Obama Administration has released tens of thousands of criminal aliens over the past several years, including those with violent criminal histories such as murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statement below in advance of this hearing.

Chairman Goodlatte: “The Obama Administration’s failure to enforce our nation’s immigration laws has undermined the rule of law and endangered public safety. From the Administration’s refusal to crack down on sanctuary cities to its release of criminal aliens, tragically there are too many stories about American families losing loved ones at the hands of criminal aliens who should have never been in the United States in the first place. “At the House Judiciary Committee’s oversight hearing on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, members of the Committee will press Director Saldaña to enforce our immigration laws and keep criminal aliens off of our streets. It is astonishing that the Administration has not done more to enforce our immigration laws and keep our communities safe.” This hearing will take place in 2237 Rayburn House Office Building and will be webcast live at judiciary.house.gov.  Camera crews wishing to cover must be congressionally credentialed and RSVP with the House Radio-TV Gallery at (202) 225-5214.

To learn more about the Obama Administration’s record of lax immigration enforcement, click here. ###