WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23), Chairman of the Republican Congressional Hispanic Conference (CHC), led 5 of his Republican colleagues in urging the Trump Administration to prioritize enforcement operations for violent offenders, convicted criminal aliens, and national security threats instead of using limited resources to "pursue individuals who do not constitute an immediate threat to public safety".

 

The letter also requests data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on how many of the approximately 100,000 individuals deported since January of this year have a criminal charge or conviction.

 

“We write to follow up on information that was requested and obtained by Rep. Tony Gonzales, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September of last year. Through official correspondence with Rep. Gonzales, ICE revealed that over 600,000 individuals with criminal charges—more than 65% of whom were convicted of crimes like murder, sexual assault, and smuggling—were on ICE’s docket, residing inside our borders.

 

“We strongly agree that convicted criminal aliens—smugglers, murderers, and sex offenders—pose an immediate threat to our homeland security, and we are committed to making sure you have the resources to find, prosecute, and deport them as soon as possible…while we do agree that we are a nation of laws—and that all who crossed our borders illegally are subject to those laws—there are levels of priority that must be considered when it comes to immigration enforcement

 

“Every minute that we spend pursuing an individual with a clean record is a minute less that we dedicate to apprehending terrorists or cartel operatives. We stand by President Trump to ensure our border security is restored. However, in order to truly claim success, we need to give absolute priority to every violent offender and convicted criminal illegal alien present in our nation. Diverting limited resources to other objectives puts our national security at risk,” penned Chairman Tony Gonzales and members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference.

 

U.S. Representatives Monica De La Cruz (R-TX-15), CHC Vice Chair of Communications, Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11), CHC Vice Chair of Policy, and Congressional Hispanic Conference members David Valadao (R-CA-22), Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), and Gabe Evans (R-CO-08) joined Chairman Gonzales on the letter.

 

The Congressional Hispanic Conference was founded in 2003 and is comprised of Hispanic Republican Members of Congress who collectively represent more than half of the southern border. CHC members serve more than 8 million constituents from districts in Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, Colorado, and New York, and seek to emphasize both national and international issues that have a significant impact on the Hispanic community in the United States. 

 

Click here or see below for the full text of the letter:

June 11, 2025

 

Dear Acting Director Lyons,

 

We write to follow up on information that was requested and obtained by Rep. Tony Gonzales, Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September of last year. Through official correspondence with Rep.

Gonzales, ICE revealed that over 600,000 individuals with criminal charges—more than 65% of whom were convicted of crimes like murder, sexual assault, and smuggling—were on ICE’s docket, residing inside our borders.

 

As Members of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, we seek updated information related to this docket of convicted criminal aliens to effectively deliver on President Trump’s border security agenda.

 

The Congressional Hispanic Conference is comprised of Hispanic Republican Members of Congress who collectively represent more than half of our southern border. Together, we are responsible for more than 8 million constituents from districts in Texas, Florida, California,

Arizona, Colorado, and New York—all of which have been directly impacted by the disastrous immigration policies of the prior administration.

 

During the last four years, our national security was exploited, and our districts were ground zero for the new dangers that open borders inflicted on our communities. That includes heightened cartel activity across our states, the nefarious spread of criminal gangs like Tren de Aragua, and the record number of individuals on the terrorist watch list who have made their way onto our soil.

 

As a result, we are fully invested in restoring law and order and are encouraged by President Trump’s commitment to take action against those who “present significant threats to national security and public safety.” We strongly agree that convicted criminal aliens—smugglers, murderers, and sex offenders—pose an immediate threat to our homeland security, and we are committed to making sure you have the resources to find, prosecute, and deport them as soon as possible. That said, we are also concerned that your limited resources may be stretched to pursue individuals that do not constitute an immediate threat to public safety.

 

While we do agree that we are a nation of laws—and that all who crossed our borders illegally are subject to those laws—there are levels of priority that must be considered when it comes to immigration enforcement. Every minute that we spend pursuing an individual with a clean record is a minute less that we dedicate to apprehending terrorists or cartel operatives.

 

We stand by President Trump to ensure our border security is restored. However, in order to truly claim success, we need to give absolute priority to every violent offender and convicted criminal illegal alien present in our nation. Diverting limited resources to other objectives puts our national security at risk.

 

To that end, we respectfully request answers to the following questions no later than June 30, 2025:

 

 

• Of the estimated 100,000 individuals who have been deported since January of this year, how many are convicted criminals? Please provide a breakdown of their criminal offenses by category.

 

• Of those estimated 100,000 individuals, how many are from ICE’s docket from last year, referenced in the first paragraph?

 

 

• Of those estimated 100,000 individuals, how many have ties to criminal enterprises, organizations, or gangs like Tren de Aragua?

 

 

• What obstacles have you faced, including resistance from countries of origin, in repatriating the individuals above? Which countries have proven recalcitrant or non-cooperative with your efforts?

 

 

• What resources, if any, do you require from Congress to improve or supplement enforcement efforts against those listed above?

 

 

• What policies or new authorities from Congress would assist you in pursuing convicted criminal aliens or those with criminal records that pose a threat to public safety?

 

 

Thank you for your attention to this important matter, and we look forward to your timely response.

 

Sincerely,

 

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