Last month, former President Trump accused Vice President Harris and President Biden of destroying the fabric of the nation by allowing millions of illegal immigrants to pour into the U.S.—but not just due to the massive quantity, but because many of them are criminals, he argued.
“Do you know that crime in Venezuela and crime in countries all over the world is way down? You know why? Because they've taken their criminals off the street and they've given them to her to put into our country,” he said. “And this will be one of the greatest mistakes in history for them to allow -- and I think they probably did it because they think they're going to get votes. But it's not worth it. Because they're destroying the fabric of our country by what they've done. There's never been anything done like this at all.”
Voters were given concrete data just weeks later, ironically on the day Harris went to the border.
In a letter to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Immigration and Customs Enforcement said, “as of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national docket,” and 13,099 of them are convicted murderers.
As of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national docket—13,099 criminally convicted MURDERS!
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) September 27, 2024
Americans deserve to be SAFE in our own communities. pic.twitter.com/fIoCAduJ9M
When Fox News’s Peter Doocy pressed White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the numbers, she dismissed them and said the figures are being “misrepresented.”
Doocy: "There are 13,000 people who have been convicted of murder who have crossed the border illegally."
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 30, 2024
KJP: "This has been fact checked... It has been debunked on what has been falsely represented."
Doocy: "Can you clarify what the misrepresentation is?"
KJP: *Fails… pic.twitter.com/uiOD5kk8Qi
Jean-Pierre was likely referring to a statement from a DHS spokesperson given to news outlets "fact checking" the numbers.
“The data in this letter is being misinterpreted," the DHS spokesperson said. "The data goes back decades; it includes individuals who entered the country over the past 40 years or more, the vast majority of whose custody determination was made long before this Administration. It also includes many who are under the jurisdiction or currently incarcerated by federal, state or local law enforcement partners.”
