Politics

GOP Silent As Obama’s Illegals Cause Crime Wave

Neil Munro White House Correspondent
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President Obama unleashed a nation-wide crime wave when he directed his deputies to release 36,007 foreign criminals back into Americans neighborhoods in 2013, instead of repatriating the criminals, according to a list of crimes released Friday, Jan. 30.

But GOP senators kept the list secret until after Obama’s nominee for Attorney General, Loretta Lynch, completed her confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 28.

Had the list been made public at the hearing, GOP senators could have pushed the media to focus on the huge cost of Obama’s 2010 decision to minimize enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws.

But that attention would have also increased public pressure to reject Lynch, who is supported by Democrats and their allies in the media. There’s little or no evidence that Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, want to reject Lynch, or to encourage a 2016 debate on Obama’s business-backed — but very unpopular — push for greater immigration.

Currently, Lynch has open support from a few Republican senators, and is on track for confirmation, despite her endorsement of Obama’s decision to not enforce popular immigration laws.

The newly released list describes criminal convictions that were won against 1,000 of the 36,007 foreign criminals who were released — but not repatriated — in 2013.

The 1,000 criminals’ convictions included 196 drunk-driving charges and 57 other driving offenses, 88 theft, 69 burglary and 24 larceny charges, 26 assault charges and 35 charges of battery, 178 drug charges, two rape charges and at least four auto thefts.

The list of 1,000 criminals does not identify the American or legal immigrant victims of Obama’s convict-and-release policy. It may be only a partial description of the havoc wrought by Obama’s criminals, and it does not include crimes where there were no convictions, nor crimes committed after the list was completed.

Additionally, the list of 1,000 criminals does not say whether it includes all crimes committed by the released illegals, nor whether it includes all illegals who were convicted of crimes after being released, nor does it even detail the time period during which the crimes were committed.

Instead, the list simply says “the following table provides a breakdown of convictions associated with the 36,007 criminal aliens placed in a non-custodial setting in fiscal year 2013. The convictions occurred following release from ICE custody.”

The list of crimes committed by released illegals is likely growing, because Obama has ordered officials to release many illegal immigrants who could be deported.

For example, a released illegal immigrant is being charged with the murder of 21-year-old Grant Ronnebeck, an Arizona retail clerk who was murdered Jan. 22. The suspected killer, Apolinar Altamirano, was released from custody in 2013 by Obama’s deputies, even though he was an illegal immigrant and a convicted criminal

Altamarino was arrested and charged Jan. 22, six days before Lynch’s hearing.

One of the senators at the hearing was Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona. He is expected to vote for Lynch, despite the risk of facing a primary challenger in 2018.

Lynch is also expected to win GOP support from Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The 36,007 criminals released by Obama’s deputies may have convicted many additional crimes. Most were in the country illegally, and they were convicted of roughly 88,000 additional crimes prior to their 2013 release. Their prior 88,000 convictions covered 193 killings, 426 rapes or sexual assaults, 303 kidnappings and 16,070 drug offenses.

Officials have minimized media coverage of the havoc by refusing to release the names of the American victims of Obama’s non-enforcement policies.

GOP legislators also are not using the list to spur criticism of Obama’s very unpopular immigration policies.

Instead, the list was quietly released late Friday afternoon by Sen. Chuck Grassley, the head of the judiciary committee.

Grassley released the data when it would be least likely to make a big media splash, and he released it two days after Lynch appeared before Grassley’s committee.

At the hearing, Lynch endorsed Obama’s low enforcement policy, and even said that all foreigners have a right to compete against Americans for jobs in the United States.

“I believe that the right and the obligation to work is one that’s shared by everyone in this country regardless of how they came here,” she said.

Established media outlets did not publish her radical views, which are opposed by roughly 90 percent of Americans, including GOP voters.

If Grassley — or the GOP leadership — had wanted to highlight the crime data, he could have asked nominee Loretta Lynch to say if she supported the release of foreign criminals back into U.S. neighborhoods.

Instead, the data was hidden from reporters until late Friday, which is considered a good time to dump unwelcome news because it is less likely to be widely disseminated.

Grassley released a short statement on Friday.

“The Obama Administration claims that it is using ‘prosecutorial discretion’ to prioritize the removal of criminal aliens from this country.

“But this report shows the disturbing truth: 1,000 undocumented aliens previously convicted of crimes who the Administration released in 2013 have gone on to commit further crimes in our communities.

“I will continue my work to ensure our immigration officials are doing what it takes to take criminal aliens off our streets and out of our country,” Grassley said.

The dramatic data likely will be ignored by established media outlets, especially because Obama releases his budget request on Monday.

In response to prior complaints about the release of the 36,007 criminals, administration officials say they must release the criminals into American communities, because their home counties do not accept returned criminals.

However, U.S. officials have not used potential tools to force foreign countries to accept the return of criminals. Those tools include curbs on the award of rich people from countries that do not accept the return of their murderers, rapists, thieves and drug smugglers.

Immigration issues are expected to play a major role in the 2016 elections, largely because of the economic impact on ordinary Americans of the huge inflow of foreign workers.

In November 2014, almost one in every five U.S. jobs was held by a foreign-born worker, up from one-in-six jobs in January 2010, according to federal data highlighted by the Center for Immigration Studies.

But GOP leaders and Democratic leaders want to focus the public’s attention on other issues. For example, House Republicans focussed their weekend message to the public on the less dramatic issue of student debt.

“In the new Congress, Republicans are working to lower costs for middle-class families and empower folks with bottom up solutions that help prepare you for the future,” said the Jan. 30 message delivered by Rep. Lynn Jenkins, heard of the House Republican Conference.

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