The number of criminal immigrants trying to enter the US has skyrocketed in recent years, data from US Customs and Border Protection reveals.
More than 13,000 “non-citizen criminals” attempted to enter the U.S. and were apprehended by Border Patrol agents in fiscal year 2024, an increase from 4,269 in fiscal year 2019.
CBP defines “non-citizen criminals” as “individuals who have been convicted of one or more crimes, either in the United States or abroad, prior to interdiction by the United States Border Patrol,” it notes. the agency's website.
These border apprehensions had been declining prior to fiscal year 2021: CBP recorded 8,531 in 2017, 6,698 in 2018, 4,269 in 2019, and 2,438 in 2020. However, since then, the number has continued to rise, reaching 10,763 in 2021, 12,028 . in 2022, and 15,267 in 2023, the most recent full year for which data is available.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WEARING AN ICE ANKLE MONITOR
Immigrants are photographed at a U.S. Border Patrol processing center after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border on December 7, 2023 in Lukeville, Arizona. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Many of the criminal aliens caught at the border this year have been convicted of serious crimes, including 814 for assault, battery or domestic violence; 23 for homicide or manslaughter; and 168 for sexual crimes.
But the data does not take into account the number of foreign criminals who managed to sneak into the country undetected or were released without a clear criminal record, cases that have once again entered the national spotlight.
Such cases include the arrest of Víctor Antonio Martínez Hernández, a 23-year-old Salvadoran illegal migrant accused of raping and killing Maryland mother Rachel Morin. Martínez Hernández had attempted to enter the country illegally on four occasions after being accused of a similar murder in his native El Salvador, the last of which he was able to evade detection by border security.
In another case, two Venezuelan immigrants are charged with the murder of Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, from the Houston area. In that case, suspects Johan José Martínez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, entered the country illegally and were released with court dates.
Víctor Martínez Hernández is accused of the rape and murder of Rachel Morin on August 5, 2023 in Bel Air, Maryland. (Hartford County Sheriff's Office/Tulsa Police Department)
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WEARING AN ICE ANKLE MONITOR
While none of the suspects had a criminal record in Harris County, their records in their native Venezuela are less clear as a result of the lack of information-sharing cooperation between the Venezuelan and U.S. governments.
The two then headed to what has become an immigrant hotspot in Houston, where Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told Fox News she has seen an increase in immigrant crimes. illegal.
Franklin José Peña Ramos, left, and Johan José Martínez-Rangel have been charged with the murder of Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas, on Monday, June 17. (Harris County Jail)
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“Unfortunately, we see a lot of violence committed by illegal immigrants, and we see that many are victims of other illegals and ordinary people here. It's a huge problem. This had to happen,” he told Fox News. “It's one of those things that, as an elected prosecutor, you're waiting for something different to happen. I'm sick and tired that this little girl was the innocent victim of these two monsters.”
Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from Fox News Digital's immigration hub.
