McCain to DHS: More info needed on released detainees

By Daniel González The Republic|azcentral.com


U.S. Sen. John McCain renewed demands Thursday for the Department of Homeland Security to turn over additional information on 2,226 immigration detainees freed a year ago for budget reasons, including whether any committed crimes after their release.
McCain and U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., also want to know if any Immigration and Customs Enforcement or DHS officials were disciplined for their decision to release "dangerous" detainees during the last week of February 2013.
"Because of the ongoing threat detainees with multiple felony convictions might pose to the public, it is important that we obtain clear and current information," McCain and Levin wrote in a letter sent to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson.
McCain wrote the letter as ranking Republican member of the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Levin is the panel's chairman.
The letter cited a March 7 article in The Arizona Republic that reported ICE officials were still refusing to give the names, criminal histories and whereabouts of 2,226 freed immigration detainees, including 622 with criminal records.
The mass release prompted an outcry last year from Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu and many Republican members of Congress, who cited public-safety concerns.
Many Democrats also criticized the release, saying it showed ICE is wasting tax dollars by detaining many immigrants who pose little risk of fleeing or threat to the public.
The Republic's article said that ICE officials had trickled out only limited information about the detainees and some of the information contained significant discrepancies, including the number of released detainees classified as Level 1 or Level 2 because of their prior criminal convictions.
ICE officials told McCain and Levin that 32CQ detainees classified as Level 1, the highest-risk, had been released. However, that number conflicted with the 10CQ Level 1 offenders ICE told other lawmakers had been released. ICE also told McCain and Levin that 80CQ level 2 detainees had been released but told other lawmakers that 159CQ had been released.
McCain and Levin gave Johnson until April 6 to clear up the discrepancies and to provide the additional information. showing:
Whether any additional detainees with criminal histories been released since February 2013 because of budget concerns and if so what crimes had they committed.
How many of the 622CQ detainees with criminal histories released in February 2013CQ were level 1 or level 2 offenders.
The number of level 1 or level 2 offenders released in February 2013 who had been taken back into custody because they were arrested or convicted of crimes again after their initial release.
• The circumstances of any detainees taken back into custody as well as a breakdown of any new arrests or convictions.
The names of the 2,226CQ detainees released, and the whereabouts of all level 1 and level 2 offenders released.
ICE and DHS officials could not be reached Thursday for comment.
Reporter Dan Nowicki contributed to this story.