On Monday, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy confronted White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the presence of thousands of illegal immigrants convicted of homicide who are currently living in the U.S.

Doocy raised concerns about data provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which indicated that, as of July 21, 13,099 illegal immigrants convicted of homicide are freely residing across the country.

The statistics were revealed in a letter sent to Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales last Wednesday.

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Doocy pressed Jean-Pierre on the issue, asking, “Thirteen-thousand people who’ve been convicted of murder crossed the border illegally and are living among us.

So how much danger are U.S. communities in right now because of this?”

Jean-Pierre responded by questioning the accuracy of the data, stating that it represented a “false representation” of the situation.

“I think it’s important to correct the record here, first of all, the false representation of the data ICE shared, so that’s what we’re seeing, false representation,” Jean-Pierre said. “We got to call that out, and this has been fact-checked by some of your colleagues here, by multiple, multiple, multiple outlets. That has been debunked on what has been falsely misrepresented here, so we have to call that out.”

Jean-Pierre further explained that the data about illegal immigrants convicted of these crimes is misleading, emphasizing the need for accuracy when reporting. “If we’re going to report something, and data that’s out there, we got to do it in the way that is not confusing the American people and certainly not lying,” she said. “And so, this has been fact-checked, and so the way that is being falsely represented here is just not okay and I got to be really clear about that.”

Doocy: “There are 13,000 people who have been convicted of murder who have crossed the border illegally.”

KJP: “This has been fact checked… It has been debunked on what has been falsely represented.”

Doocy: “Can you clarify what the misrepresentation is?”

KJP: *Fails… pic.twitter.com/uiOD5kk8Qi

— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) September 30, 2024

In addition to the 13,099 illegal immigrants convicted of homicide, ICE reported that 15,811 illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault and 14,301 convicted of burglary are also residing in the U.S.

The letter indicated that, as of July 21, 662,566 non-citizens with criminal histories were listed on ICE’s national docket, including 435,719 convicted criminals and 226,847 individuals with pending criminal charges.

ICE also highlighted the challenges agents face in arresting convicted migrants, particularly in sanctuary cities that allegedly ignore detainer requests for criminal aliens.

These policies, ICE claims, hinder the agency’s ability to remove dangerous individuals from U.S. communities.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) addressed the concerns, telling NBC News that the data presented has been misinterpreted.

DHS explained that the figures provided by ICE represent criminal activity that spans four decades, and it remains unclear when the first of the 13,000 illegal immigrants convicted of homicide entered the U.S.

Recent incidents have brought further attention to the issue.

In February, Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, was charged with the murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley near the University of Georgia’s campus.

Additionally, in June, 23-year-old illegal immigrant Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez was arrested for the alleged rape and murder of 37-year-old Rachel Morin.

As the debate over immigration and border security continues, the issue of convicted criminals residing illegally in the U.S. remains a focal point for lawmakers and the public.

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