Sheriff Babeu weighs in on I.C.E. releasing detainees - DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Sheriff Babeu weighs in on I.C.E. releasing detainees

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PHOENIX -

Last week, we learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement released more illegal immigrant detainees that previously reported.

Some of the detainees were released in Arizona and Pinal County Sheriff Babeu is angry over the type of detainees were set free.

"This all happened back in..now February and I was getting called by I.C.E. agents, by supervisors, by Border Patrol agents, supervisors..saying Sheriff, they're releasing hundreds of criminals.  Just in one day they released 207 at one facility in Florence..where all of these major crimes that they knew they were convicted of.  They called these I.C.E. agents in on overtime, on the weekend to do this mass release in secrecy.  And so no police chief, no sheriff was notified.  I.C.E., when asked about this, initially lied about it, saying no, this didn't happen. Then they admitted, well, only a couple hundred nationally.  Now more and more partial truths have come out..and had to be under oath..the guy in charge of I.C.E. who's now falling on the sword saying this is not ordinary..they normally don't do this when he was questioned about it and that they're rearresting some of the more serious offenders. It's too late.  These people are gone.  They're out in our communities, they have no incentive to return or report in to the authorities.  The worst thing we can do is deport them and we can't even do that right," said Babeu.

The Sheriff is worried about the situation because a couple of the illegal immigrants released were charged with murder, while others are sex offenders.

He wants to know who these people are, why this happened and why no law enforcement was given a heads up.

Video: FOX 10's Diane Ryan reports.

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