Suspected undocumented foreign nationals who commit minor and non-violent offenses are more likely to be booked into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention than those who commit violent offenses, according to a recently published study by the non-profit Center of Juvenile and Criminal Justice.
Researchers examined a sample of 77,923 (ICE) hold requests placed for suspected undocumented immigrants detained in local jails.
The study found that suspected undocumented foreign nationals who commit traffic offenses are booked into ICE detention 75.8 percent of the time, while those who commit violent offenses are detained in 67.5 percent of cases.
“Similarly, a suspected undocumented immigrant with a prior or contemporaneous conviction for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana — which is no longer even a crime in California — is more likely to face ICE detention (73.1 percent) than one with a rape conviction (69.7 percent),” researchers wrote.
The researchers conclude that ICE detention for civil violators “is a dubious use of public safety resources.”
Read the full study HERE.
Editor’s Note: At a panel this week, Dora Schriro, commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction and former director of ICE's Office of Detention Policy and Planning, called for an end to the practice of having ICE run its own detainment centers. To read The Crime Report‘s coverage click HERE.