By NWV Senior Political News Writer, Jim Kouri

As thousands of illegal immigrants, their advocates and Democratic Party leaders take to the streets to demand the abolishment of the Homeland Security Department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) directorate, that law enforcement agency and the White House released the first annual report as promised by President Donald Trump.

For far too long, the former Obama administration and the so-called mainstream news outlets kept citizens in the dark with regard to crimes — serious, violent crimes — committed by illegal aliens, whose very presence in the U.S. is a crime.

Illegal immigrants who were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement were responsible for well over 48,000 assault offenses in 2017, according to a White House press release Thursday.

Illegal aliens — either border crossers or visa overstays — captured by ICE were also responsible for more than 5,000 sexual assault offenses, upwards of 2,000 kidnapping and abduction offenses, 1,800 homicide offenses and 76,000 dangerous drug offenses, according to a report from ICE.

“Abolishing ICE would mean open borders because it would eliminate the agency responsible for removing people who enter or remain in our country illegally,” the press release stated.

“Those calling for the end of ICE operations are inviting illegal aliens to thumb their noses at the U.S. justice system and its sovereignty,” said former police officer and military intelligence operative Michael Snopes.

On Jan. 25, 2017, President Donald J. Trump signed and promulgated Executive Order 13,768, Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States, which described the Trump administration’s enforcement and removal policy. The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) February 20, 2017 memorandum, Enforcement of the Immigration Laws to Serve the National Interest (implementation memorandum) provided direction for the implementation of the policies described in Trump’s January EO.

According to the ICE report, the EO and implementation memorandum expanded ICE’s enforcement focus to include removable aliens who

(1) have been convicted of any criminal offense

(2) have been charged with any criminal offense that has not been resolved

(3) have committed acts which constitute a chargeable criminal offense

(4) have engaged in fraud or willful misrepresentation in connection with any official matter before a governmental agency

(5) have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits

(6) are subject to a final order of removal but have not complied with their legal obligation to depart the United States or

(7) in the judgment of an immigration officer, otherwise pose a risk to public safety or national security. The Department has directed that classes or categories of removable aliens are no longer exempted from potential enforcement.

Many observers believe that this latest ICE press release is the result of several Democrats calling for the abolishment of ICE, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, and far-left U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Vermont Democrat and former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders in his call for the abolition of ICE on Tuesday, tweeted that the agency was “cruel” and “dysfunctional” and claiming that Americans overwhelmingly want to abolish it.

“Sanders never mentioned where he obtained his information about what Americans wanted, however, since polls — including a Harvard University study — revealed that only 10 percent of U.S. citizens want to see ICE abolished,” said former NYPD detective, JoAnn Barroni.

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Contact Jim Kouri – E-Mail: COPmagazine@aol.com