45% of illegal immigrants kicked out for crime would get amnesty under bill

The Senate “Gang of Eight’s” immigration reform bill goes so easy on illegal immigrants involved in crime that nearly half of those kicked out of the country in the past six months for criminal acts would be allowed to stay and qualify for legal status, according to a new analysis.

According to the Center for Immigration Studies, the immigration reform package targets illegals with a long rap sheet, while those with fewer crimes on their record are considered safe enough to get legal status.

To size up the impact of the pending legislation, the group compared the legislation with ICE’s Secure Communities program which alerts Immigration and Customs Enforcement when a known non-citizen is arrested.

“In the most recent six-month reporting period (October 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013), ICE removed 38,547 aliens who had been identified as a result of arrest by a state, local, or other federal law enforcement agency. Of these, 55 percent (21,339) were convicted of a felony or at least three misdemeanors. The other 45 percent (17,208) were lesser offenders who would be exempt from deportation and eligible for legalization under the Schumer-Rubio amnesty,” said the new analysis.

An aide to a Senate critic legislation said the report confirms concerns that too many criminals and gang members will be allowed to become citizens if it passes. “The bill grants extraordinary leniency to those who have committed serious crimes and allows them to stay and apply for legal status. And even where the bill is supposedly ‘tough,’ it gives authority to DHS to ignore the rule and make its own determination. It’s as if the authors of the bill went out of their way to hamstring law enforcement,” the official told Secrets.