Trump, Vance Wrong About ‘Illegal Immigrant Murderers’

Este artículo estará disponible en español en El Tiempo Latino. In campaign appearances over the weekend in the swing state of Pennsylvania, former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, falsely accused Vice President Kamala Harris of letting more than 13,000 “illegal immigrant murderers” into the United States. It’s true that there were 13,099 noncitizens convicted of murder, as of July 21, who were not being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But the “vast majority” of them entered the country prior to the Biden administration and had their custody status determined “long before this Administration,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement, noting that many were in prison. Also, the noncitizens include those who entered the country legally, such as green-card holders. Trump and Vance distorted the contents of a Sept. 25 letter that Patrick Lechleitner, the acting director of ICE, sent to Rep. Tony Gonzales. The Republican congressman had requested the number of noncitizens who had committed a crime but were not in ICE custody — a list known as the agency’s non-detained docket. Lechleitner’s response included a chart that showed there are 13,099 noncitizens convicted of murder who were not...