EXCLUSIVE: ICE HQ Denies Deportation for Visa Overstay Convicted of Computer Thefts

EXCLUSIVE: ICE HQ Denies Deportation for Visa Overstay Convicted of Computer Thefts

by RANDY CLARK 3 Aug 2021

On Tuesday, ICE Agents were denied authorization by the ICE Command Center in Washington, D.C. to arrest a felon released from a Texas prison after he completed a 30-month sentence for stealing more than 60 laptop computers. The denial effectively allowed the person to avoid deportation.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, an ICE agent informed Breitbart Texas about the denial to arrest and process the foreign national for removal. The source adds that most of such calls to Washington end with negative responses.

The migrant was arrested by the Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) after a joint operation. The suspect was found to be a visa overstay and had no right to remain in the United States, according to the source.

The source relayed Washington’s justification, noting that he did not pose a danger to the general public.

The source says many within ICE are frustrated that permanent guidance on arrest priorities from DHS Secretary Mayorkas have not been finalized.

The agency is still relying on an enforcement priorities memorandum issued by Acting ICE Director Tae Johnson.

The policy, instituted in February, requires limits on immigration enforcement actions at the field level to “at entry” migrants and those migrants suspected of involvement in terrorist activity or previously convicted of an aggravated felony. In most other cases, approval from ICE headquarters must be sought before any enforcement actions can take place.

As reported previously by Breitbart Texas, migrants convicted of criminal offenses are routinely released in lieu of removal due to the restrictive nature of the policy.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/202...mputer-thefts/