Need help with a claim being made about immigration

[mikekohr]

Claims are being made that President Obama released 68,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records into the general populace last year. I could not find anything on snopes.com or FactCheck.com.
Anybody got a source on the veracity or bullshitosity of this claim?

http://startthinkingright.wordpress.com/2014/03/31/obama-released-68000-convicted-criminal-illegal-immigrants-last-year-to-attackudermine-americans-again/

[Archae]

1. They are making the claim, THEY should back it up.

It does sound like BS.

[abelenkpe]

2. Sounds like crazy talk

Hopefully someone more knowledgable can help.

[jeff47]

3. Take a look at the specific claim

Specifically:

An internal Department of Homeland Security document compiling statistics on arrests and deportations in 2013 showed that ICE agents encountered 193,357 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions but issued charging documents for only 125,478. More than 67,800 were released.

They are assuming the 67,879 were released by subtracting one number from the other. That's it. They actually don't have any evidence that they were released into the US.

Problem is we don't really like imprisoning foreign nationals. It costs a lot. So if their crime is minor we just deport them instead. Usually through one of the programs that lets them walk back across the border instead of waiting for a formal deportation.

Also, "crime" is not "serious felony", despite their attempts to equate the two. Crime includes misdemeanors and infractions.

[pinboy3niner]

4. This is what it's about:

This article describes the original claims and their source, followed by criticism of those claims by the Southern Poverty Law Center and others.

Fox Uses Misleading Report From Anti-Immigrant Group To Stoke Fears Of Violent Undocumented Immigrants
http://mediamatters.org/mobile/research/2014/03/31/fox-uses-misleading-report-from-anti-immigrant/198687

[mikekohr]

5. Thanks! I knew you guys would come through! nt