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Congressman Pat Fallon Sends Letter to Mayorkas Regarding ICE’s Underreporting

Washington, DC, December 19, 2022

Earlier today, Congressman Pat Fallon (TX-04) sent a letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) recent underreporting on illegal aliens released into America without proper tracking technology. The letter specifically asks:

  • Who was responsible for the dissemination of Alternatives to Detention (ATD) data in accordance with 8 USC 1378 (2) and why did they report inaccurate data?
  • How frequently is the public ATD data refreshed?
  • Your public reporting indicates data may fluctuate until "locked" at the end of a fiscal year. What factors result in data fluctuations? On average, how much does data reporting retroactively change once “locked?”
  • The December 1 symposium featured "more than 100 stakeholders from nongovernmental organizations, academia, and private industry." Provide the list of stakeholders that participated.
  • Who was responsible for the invitation of anti-ICE activist Peter Markowitz to the December 1 symposium, and what value do you believe he brought to the event?
  • What methods, if any, does ICE use to monitor aliens without any GPS tracking?
  • What percentage of aliens without GPS tracking have appeared at their scheduled immigration court hearings since the ATD program was put in place?
  • What factors does ICE consider when deciding to remove GPS tracking devices from ATD participants?
  • What policies or rules, if any, are now being drafted or considered by your agency as a result of the December 1 symposium?

Congressman Fallon issued the following statement:

"ICE's mission statement reads as follows: 'Protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety.' Instead of living up to this, ICE appears to be more interested in squashing transparency and empowering radical anti-ICE activists. This is yet another chapter in the story of Secretary Mayorkas' incompetent, negligent, and reckless leadership of DHS. The American people deserve answers. We will find them come hell or high water."