ICE Fails to Track Numerous Sex Offenders They Released

You’d think that government agencies would be sticklers for record keeping and paperwork, and normally you’d be right. The only exception to that rule, is when one government agency is dealing with another, in which case all bets are off. Unfortunately, sometimes this failure to communicate among bureaucracies can cause great harm to the citizens they are supposedly working for.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may be the most egregious example of this negligence in recent years. According to an investigation and lawsuit conducted by the Boston Globe, ICE has been releasing foreign nationals accused of sex crimes for many years, and has largely failed to keep track of them, or alert other agencies of their status. Between 2008 and 20012, over 50 of these criminals failed to register with local police departments, and many of them were listed as “deported” when in fact they were still here.

The problem arises after these criminals finish their prison sentence, and ICE tries to deport them. If their nation home doesn’t take them back, they have to be released after 6 months.  In some cases, these people disappear, only to be arrested years later for committing additional sex crimes. They even managed to lose contact with criminals even they insisted should remain behind bars. By failing to keep an eye the most heinous criminals in their care, ICE may be partially responsible for the physical and emotional trauma of dozens of Americans (that we know of).